Nine TSA agents accidentally doused with pepper spray at San Jose airport

(05-21) 13:47 PDT SAN JOSE -- Nine agents with the federal Transportation Security Administration were accidentally doused with pepper spray at Mineta San Jose International Airport today when a canister of the powerful chemical discharged, an airport official said.

The incident happened at 10:45 a.m. when a passenger at Terminal C realized that he had a canister of pepper spray in his bag and handed it over to TSA employees at an X-ray machine, said airport spokesman Rich Dressler.

The TSA agents were preparing to put the canister in a hazardous-materials container when it somehow discharged, Dressler said.

No airport staffers or passengers were affected, but two TSA agents were taken to Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Santa Clara. The seven others were checked at the scene....