A New Mexico State University student was cited Monday afternoon for allegedly aiming pepper spray at other students in front of the Corbett Center Student Union on the NMSU campus, the Las Cruces Sun-News reported.
Jason Salais was cited for two petty misdemeanors — disorderly conduct and causing a public affray — for his role in the incident, State Police Lt. Roman Jimenez told the Sun-News.
Salais was taken into custody for a mental health evaluation at a local hospital, authorities told the paper.
The incident occurred when Jed Smock, a preacher with a Missouri-based ministry, began an outdoor sermon and Salais allegedly approached Smock and called him a “false prophet” and tried to grab a religious staff from Smock’s hand, a witness told police.
Salais then allegedly launched into a profanity-laced verbal attack on another student at the scene and threatened to spray the student with pepper spray, then sprayed the substance into a crowd of students who began to chase Salais, according to the Sun-News.
The Sun-News story includes an online video of the incident’s aftermath.
