Viral footage has captured the moment a DoorDash delivery driver may have pepper-sprayed a customer’s order during a delivery in Evansville, Indiana, according to local authorities and the company.
The incident occurred early Sunday morning and appeared to be a random attack that reportedly caused a couple excruciating pain.
Doorbell camera footage shows a woman with purple hair dropping off an Arby’s order, seemingly taking a photo, then discreetly spraying the bag with an irritant before slipping the spray back into her jacket pocket and leaving.
Local officials told Fox News Digital Wednesday that authorities have launched a criminal investigation into the incident.
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“The Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a reported incident in which a food delivery driver allegedly sprayed an irritant substance onto a customer’s order before leaving the residence,” Sheriff Noah Robinson said.
“During the early morning hours of (Dec. 7), deputies responded to a local home after the occupants became ill shortly after consuming their delivered meal. The individuals reported experiencing burning sensations in their stomachs, throat, mouth, and nose and later discovered video footage showing the delivery driver spraying a substance onto the food bag prior to departure.”
Resident Mark Cardin told local media WFIE that he and his wife did not realize the food had been tampered with until they began eating.
“I noticed my wife had started eating, and she started choking and gasping,” Cardin said. “After she had a couple bites of her food, she actually threw up.
“I had a look at the bag and seen that there was some kind of spray or something. The bag had been tampered with. So, I pulled up my doorbell camera and seen that the lady who dropped the food off had actually tampered with it on purpose for some reason.”
In several posts on Facebook, Cardin added that he did not know the driver, suggesting that the attack was random, adding she had already blocked him on the DoorDash app after the delivery.
He described the incident to WFIE as terrifying, noting they could have unknowingly ingested something far more dangerous.
“It’s horrific,” Cardin said. “We assume it’s pepper spray. That’s more than likely what it is, but now, in this day and age, it could’ve been anything. It could’ve been rat poison. It could’ve been fentanyl. I mean, my wife could’ve been dead.”
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Carbin told WFIE that DoorDash has since refunded his order.
DoorDash told Fox News Digital Wednesday it has terminated the employee.
“We have zero tolerance for this type of appalling behavior,” a DoorDash spokesperson said. “The Dasher in question has been permanently removed from the platform, and our team is standing by to support law enforcement with any investigation.”
The identity of the delivery driver has not been confirmed, and no arrests have been made, officials said.
The sheriff’s office also said it is coordinating with DoorDash as the investigation moves forward.
Anyone with information relevant to this case is asked to contact the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office.
Mark Cardin declined a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Arby’s did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
