Professor Pepper Sprayed In University Classroom During ‘Citizen’s Arrest’

Somebody allegedly tried to take the law into their own hands at George Mason University law school.

A professor on the Arlington, Va., campus was attacked with pepper spray in the middle of a lecture yesterday afternoon.

The alleged assailant, apparently a non-student, claimed he trying to make a citizen’s arrest of the professor when he unleashed the pepper spray in the classroom in the professor’s direction.

When a student — reportedly an off-duty cop — came to the professor’s aid, the assailant may have pulled out a stun gun.

The alleged attacker also tried to put the professor in handcuffs, but police arrived at the scene by then, and with apparently the help of their off-duty colleague, took the intruder into custody. Ironically perhaps, the professor may have been lecturing about vigilantism at the time of the attack.

EMTs treated about a dozen people, including the professor, for exposure to pepper spray. The professor — who was not seriously harmed in the incident — and the intruder don’t know each other according to detectives and the motivation for the attack is as yet undetermined. “The professor sustained only minor injuries and did not need medical attention, GMU spokesman Michael Sandler said. Several students were affected by the pepper spray as well and were examined by first responders, but none suffered significant injuries, he added. Sternbeck said there were about 10 students in the room at the time.”

The suspect in the George Mason University citizen’s arrest incident was arraigned in court today on charges of assault with a caustic substance and abduction.

The professor was identified as Tyler Cowen who was lecturing in his Law and Literature course at the time of the attack when he was hit in the face with pepper spray. Prof. Cowen is the director of the Mercatus Center, a prestigious economics think tank at the university.