METRO police trying to identify person they say sprayed mace while aboard a train

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Houston's METRO police chief confirmed officers are now trying to identify a person who they believe sprayed mace aboard a train, sending three people to the hospital on Wednesday.

Chief Ban Tien said right now, officers are poring through surveillance video. He said he doesn't believe the person was targeting anybody specifically, but chemicals did spread through the train.

"People were yelling, people were crying," passenger Daniel Ortiz told Eyewitness News on Wednesday. "I just naturally put my face inside my shirt because I didn't know what was going on."

Tien said that while officers have identified a person of interest, they have not spoken to them.

And at nearly the same time, Wednesday afternoon, Chief Tien confirmed that a woman attacked a fare inspector and ran away, but she has since been arrested.

"I do want to take a moment to ask everyone to keep our fare inspector in their prayers because she went through surgery (Thursday) morning," Tien said. "It seems to be successful at this time."

Wednesday's incidents come just one week after ABC13 reported a rider was shot and killed on a metro bus in southwest Houston.

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