Two friends learned on opening night at Ketchum's newest watering hole that pepper spray and exposed eyeballs are a painful combination.
Called to Dirty Little Roddy's at about 11:30 p.m. last Thursday, Ketchum police found two young men outside the new country-rock bar with tears in their eyes, not because they spilled their beers but because they'd been sprayed in the eyes with pepper spray, said police spokeswoman Kim Rogers.
"Those kids were in there, and they got drunk and unruly," Rogers said, "They got escorted out and tried to come back in and the bouncer said 'enough of this' and he sprayed them."
Rogers said the bouncer "exercised good judgment" because the spray-in-the-eyes tactic likely prevented what could have turned into an even uglier incident.
The bouncer was within his legal rights, too, said Rogers. It's not illegal to possess or use pepper spray in Idaho, she said.
According to the online encyclopedia Wikipedia, the active ingredient in pepper spray is capsaicin, which is derived from plants of the genus Capsicum, which includes chili peppers.
The two pepper-spray victims were treated at the scene by Ketchum Fire Department emergency medical technicians, Rogers said. After that, they'd apparently had enough carousing for the evening and went home, she said.
Rogers said things were otherwise peaceful for Dirty Little Roddy's first weekend in business.
Other patrons reported that the Main Street bar was crowded and noisy and had a few altercations, but nothing that necessitated a call to local police.
Express staff writer Jody Zarkos contributed to this report.
