A woman accused of spraying a neighbor with a chemical in Deerfield Beach was taken into custody for a mental health evaluation under Florida’s Baker Act, the Broward Sheriff’s Office said Monday.
The woman lives in the 400 block of Northwest 36th Avenue and sprayed another resident, Broward Sheriff’s spokeswoman Gina Carter said.
A hazardous materials team went to the neighborhood west of Powerline Road and north of West Hillsboro Boulevard, Carter said.
Carter said the chemical was ammonia.
Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue spokesman Mike Kane said on Monday afternoon that the hazardous materials team was still investigating the substance that may have been a mixture of several components.
Carter said she did not have the name of the woman who was detained.
One of the deputies who answered the 10:30 a.m. call for help was overcome by a smell from the chemical that was very strong, Carter said.
The deputy and the woman who was sprayed were being treated at a hospital, Carter said.
Florida’s Baker Act allows a person to be briefly, involuntarily hospitalized if she is considered mentally unstable or a danger to herself or others.
ljtrischitta@sunsentinel.com, 954-356-4233 or Twitter @LindaTrischitta
ALSO