Amazon warehouse in New York evacuated due to violent fight between workers
An Amazon employee lost control and sprayed his coworkers with a fire extinguisher during an argument yesterday, forcing 2,000 people to evacuate the retail giant’s Staten Island (NYC) warehouse.
The experience began just before 6 a.m. yesterday when 25-year-old Myles Lightner allegedly stole a co-worker’s phone and watch inside the warehouse on Gulf Avenue in the Bloomfield neighborhood, sparking an argument.
At one point, Lightner grabbed a fire extinguisher and began spraying employees, police said. NYPD agents arrived shortly thereafter to help with crowd control after all 2,000 workers were evacuated from the warehouse.
Nine people were treated for minor injuries from irritated skin and difficulty breathing. Lightner was arrested and charged with reckless endangerment and petty theft, it reported. New York Post.
This week it emerged that Amazon plans to install a large distribution center in the Bronx, after a similar initiative was rejected by the community in Queens.
Amazon last month suspended pay for at least 50 workers who were involved in a work stoppage at its Staten Island warehouse, the only union member of the company in the United States.
In July, an Amazon employee died in a New Jersey warehouse during Prime Day fever. reported the Department of Labor (DOL).
