NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) -- A man pepper-sprayed two girls who were playing on an Upper Manhattan sidewalk Wednesday before he was nabbed by officers nearby, police said.
The girls, ages 7 and 8, were playing near the corner of Amsterdam Avenue and W. 126th Street in Harlem around 5 p.m. when the man came up and pepper-sprayed them without provocation, according to police.
The 8-year-old girl was pepper-sprayed in the face and neck area, police said. She suffered pain, burning and eye irritation and was transported to Mount Sinai Morningside.
The 7-year-old girl was not hospitalized for her injuries, police said.
Officers arrested a man, Christian Garcia, several blocks away, near W. 125th Street and St. Nicholas Avenue, according to police. They allegedly found pepper spray in his left pocket.
Garcia, 26, was charged with assault, harassment, unlawful possession of noxious matter and acting in a manner injurious to a child.
