Utah businessman seen spraying fire extinguisher in man's face for smoking a cigarette near his restaurant
A Utah businessman is under fire after he was caught on camera spraying a man in the face with a fire extinguisher after he refused to stop smoking a cigarette outside his business establishment.
Alex Jamison, who runs a restaurant at the Gallivan Center in Salt Lake City, is seen on the footage confronting Jon Bird, who later shared the video on Facebook.
A woman who was at the scene recorded the incident. The video shows Jamison arguing with Bird and another man at the scene. "Are you really going to spray him with that fire extinguisher?" the woman asks Jamison in the footage.
"I'm going to put that cigarette out. You can't smoke right here," Jamison warns in response.
Bird then defiantly starts smoking the cigarette as Jamison holds the extinguisher to his face. "Do it," Bird challenges Jamison.
The business owner then sprays the fire extinguisher in Bird's face before walking away from the scene.
"Call the cops," Bird asks the man standing next to him. "Call the cops," Jamison insists, before adding, "You can't f**king smoke right here."
The entire incident was caught on video which was shared on Facebook by Bird who warned others to "keep an eye out for this guy at the Gallivan Center."
"Need to get his info. Assaulted me and ran from the scene before the cops showed up," Bird wrote in the caption. "Anyone know any attorneys that can help? Never thought this would happen."
Speaking to WSBT, Bird revealed he was volunteering for an arts festival when Jamison confronted him.
According to him, a security guard had told him it was perfectly fine if he smoked in the area.
That said, smoking within 25 feet of a business entrance is prohibited in Utah. However, the door nearest to the incident goes directly into a parking garage, according to the outlet.
When Salt Lake police responded to the address, Jamison had already bolted from the scene.
Bird subsequently hired an attorney on Saturday saying Jamison had assaulted him.