Student attack: pepper spray ensures panic at High School Falkensee!

In Falkensee, a student sprayed pepper spray, which injured 40 students. Notes on increasing irritant gas incidents in Berlin.
In Falkensee, a student sprayed pepper spray, which injured 40 students. Notes on increasing irritant gas incidents in Berlin. (Symbolbild/NAG)

Student attack: pepper spray ensures panic at High School Falkensee!

In the Falkensee secondary school in Poetenstrasse, there was a worrying incident on Tuesday morning, in which a 14-year-old student sprayed pepper spray in the stairwell. This incident occurred during the court break when numerous students returned to the building. A total of around 40 students complained of breathing and eye irritation, which required a quick intervention by the fire brigade.

The fire brigade was alerted at 11 a.m. with the keyword "mass attack on injured". Several ambulances and the rescue helicopter "Christoph 31" were used to ensure the safety of the students. Thanks to the coordinated operation, the emergency services were able to evacuate the school building with respiratory protection equipment. Three students had to be treated in the hospital due to respiratory problems. The student's motif has so far been unclear and the police have received a criminal complaint for dangerous bodily harm. The investigation is conducted by the criminal police that are currently questioning witnesses and participants.

increase in irritant gas incidents in Berlin

The incident in Falkensee is part of a disturbing development in Berlin, where an increase in irritant gas incidents has been recorded in recent months. In the period from January 1 to April 30, 2025, the police registered a total of 589 incidents with irritant gas, an increase compared to 542 cases in the previous year. Often it is men who are involved in disputes with pepper spray or other stimulus gases. In an incident in May 2024, for example, 14 people were injured in a shopping center by pepper spray, while another concert by the rapper Samra in the Neuköllner Gropius passages resulted in 18 injuries.

irritant gas is particularly dangerous and can lead to serious health reactions, especially among older fellow citizens or in young people with unknown health pre -stories. The risks depend heavily on the dose and individual sensitivity. In Berlin, three weapons and knife ban zones have already been set up in Berlin to contain these incidents, in which the carrying of irritants is prohibited.

The observed increase in incidents with irritant gas shows that the topic is increasingly prevalent. BZ-Berlin reports that the police not only react in such situations, but also want to keep an overview of the situation. It remains to be seen which measures are taken to increase security at schools and public events.

Together with Expert: Inside you try to find paths to strengthen the responsibility of those who use such dangerous substances carelessly. The incident in Falkensee is an alarming example of how quickly danger can grow from a harmless situation. The police rbb24 and other supervisory authorities urgently need to recognize the need for action.

it remains exciting in the matter, and the school community and the police are going to move all the levers in order to better prevent such incidents in the future.

For further information and backgrounds on this burgeoning problem publication, Tagesspiegel comprehensively summarized the current developments.

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OrtPoetenstraße, 14612 Falkensee, Deutschland
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