A group of women has gone viral after filming themselves bear-spraying a man. Here’s why the internet is on their side.
In a video with over 26.1 million views, California-based TikTok user @mushy.gooms shows a man angrily approaching a group of women. After a bit of arguing, one of the women pulls out a can of bear spray, dousing the man.
“He thought he could intimidate and harass a group of young girls and got that bear spray,” the TikToker writes in the video overlay text.
Immediately, commenters asked for context. And so, in a follow-up video, the TikToker offered viewers a little backstory regarding what she says led up to this moment.
According to the TikToker, she and five friends decided to go on a three-hour-long hike to celebrate a friend’s birthday. As this is an area with bears, the group decided to bring bear spray.
When they arrived at the area, they parked their car and got out. Immediately, the TikToker says they heard a man “at the top of the hill,” who was “screaming down at us” about where they parked.
“So me and my friend Lena said, ‘OK, we’re leaving.’ Not even in a rude way,” the TikToker recounts. “The situation could have ended there. He could have walked away, minded his business. But of course he didn’t.”
Things Escalate
According to the TikToker, the man came “charging down the hill” toward them. As soon as he arrived, he began “insulting us, demeaning us.”
“He was just all up in our faces. There was no need for him to be that close in the first place,” she details. “And we were all just waiting for him to hit somebody. The way he was acting, we could just tell that it was gonna go down that way.”
The TikToker says that, as the interaction continued, her group attempted to be “cordial.” Still, she says that the group “did warn him multiple times that he would get bear sprayed if he didn’t leave us alone.”
“We told him to leave multiple times. He chose to stay there. He chose to just continue with the aggression,” she summarizes.
Eventually, one member of the group took out their bear spray and sprayed the man as he approached another member of their group.
“We would not have just bear sprayed this man if he was walking away, and if it wasn’t needed,” she explains. “It felt needed. We were scared for our safety.”
The Police Get Involved
After this interaction, the TikToker claims that the man attempted to “whip” one of her friends with his fishing poles. She sprayed him again in response.
From there, the group got into their cars. The man responded by kicking, punching, and trying to throw rocks at one of their vehicles. He also took photos of the cars’ license plates. This, it seems, led to a report being filed with the police, something that the TikToker says was fine.
“We are fully compliant because, I mean, we know that we did nothing wrong,” she explains.
The TikToker further claims that the man filed a “false report” with the police. She states that the man’s report alleges that he was “minding his business” when the TikToker and her friends approached him, bear-sprayed him, and left. The fact that this report was false, she says, was the reason he declined to press charges.
“Basically, it’s gonna get sent to the DA, and they’re either gonna punt it or they’re gonna go through with it. The cops said they’re most likely going to punt it because the video shows self-defense, and he did lie in his report,” she concludes.
Is This Legal?
Naturally, you can’t just bear spray someone unprompted. However, if this case does go to trial, the group could argue that their actions were in self-defense.
California law states that a person acts in lawful self-defense if they reasonably believe that they or someone else faces imminent bodily injury or unlawful touching, if they reasonably believe immediate force is necessary, and use no more force than reasonably necessary. Crucially, this standard does not require the person to actually be hit or touched before acting.
While verbal aggression is generally not enough to justify a self-defense claim, other aggression, such as the kind described by the TikToker, could be enough to legally bolster a justification for using the bear spray in self-defense.
Viewers Support The Group
In the comments section, many users voiced their support for the woman and the actions of the group.
“I’m a dude and that dude needed bear spray. He tried to hit someone with a fishing rod. Good on you,” wrote a user.
“Dad of teen girls here: VERY VERY Proud of you. Absolutely did the right thing. Your parents raised you right,” added another.
“Most appropriate timing and use of bear spray I’ve ever seen,” offered a third. “dude was aggressive and trying to enforce rules that aren’t his to enforce when you girls already said dozens of times you were leaving. prime example of FAFO.”
Subplot reached out to @mushy.gooms via TikTok direct message.
