Chaos erupted on the San Antonio River Walk Saturday night when a woman unleashed pepper spray on a boatload of unsuspecting tourists—including a helpless toddler, according to police reports and jaw-dropping TikTok footage that’s got the whole city talking.
The wild scene unfolded November 15 aboard a Go Rio barge packed with people out for a relaxing evening cruise. But the mood soured fast when the barge’s operator reportedly asked a female passenger to turn down her blaring cell phone, sources told PEOPLE. That simple request set off a firestorm: the woman allegedly lashed out, forcing the captain to halt the boat so she could disembark.
But rather than quietly storming off into the night, witnesses say she whipped around in fury, yelling at those on board. Without warning, she allegedly let loose with a canister of pepper spray—blasting eight people, including a toddler, in the face before making her escape. Video of the pandemonium rocketed around social media, showing stricken passengers rubbing their burning eyes as a sobbing baby was carried away from the floating barge. The incident went mega-viral, with KSAT, News4SA, and KENS5 all clocking eye-popping view counts on their coverage.
Police raced to the scene around 8:34 p.m., but the suspected sprayer had already made a getaway on foot, heading toward a nearby bridge where witnesses say she continued her rampage before vanishing into the night. No arrests have been made, and the hunt is on for the pepper-spray perpetrator, San Antonio authorities confirm.
A River Walk shop clerk told KENS5 she’s never seen anything like it in four years working alongside the bustling tourist hotspot: “You think you’re just out enjoying the sights with your family, not bracing for a chemical attack!” she recalled. Another stunned onlooker summed up what everyone’s thinking: “Who in their right mind maces a baby?”
Investigators are treating the pepper-spray chaos as an assault. Cops urge anyone with info to reach out to the San Antonio Police Department as they work to track down the woman behind this unforgettable outburst.
