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NEW YORK (AP) — About 100 people had to be evacuated from Manhattan's famed Strand Bookstore after pepper spray went off in a customer's purse.
Officials say it happened around 4 p.m. Tuesday at the Union Square store.
Fire Battalion Chief Pat Sheridan told WCBS-AM (http://cbsloc.al/1tcMckO ) that two dozen people complained of irritation to their throats.
The entire store was evacuated as a precaution. Customers were allowed back in the store about one hour later.
The store that opened in 1927 boasts "18 miles of books."
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Information from: WCBS-AM, http://www.wcbs880.com
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