Pepper Spray

Former Ohio State football star Maurice Clarett was sprayed with pepper spray and struck after he surrendered following an early-morning chase last week, his lawyer said yesterday in Columbus. "It is our contention that both of those things occurred after he was in handcuffs," said attorney Michael Hoague, who added that his client obeyed police commands. Hoague is representing Clarett in an unrelated robbery trial that was to start today but postponed until September when a judge ordered a psychiatric evaluation after Clarett's latest arrest.

Shares of Mace Security International Inc., maker of the personal defense pepper spray, rose 18 percent yesterday after the Mount Laurel firm spurned an unsolicited, $39 million offer for 36 car washes it operates in five states. The company said the offer, from Los Angeles-based CW No. 1 L.L.C., was too low, although Mace also said it would be willing to negotiate. In December 2004, Mace said it planned to divest its car washes in favor of focusing on its personal and commercial security business.

Staying safe in the city requires a mix of awareness and common sense. Whether you're new to the urban scene or have lived in a metropolis such as Philly all your life, a few basic actions, thoughts, and rules of thumb can help you stay out of harm's way. "It is our ultimate goal to ensure the safety and security of each member of our community," says Maureen S. Rush, the University of Pennsylvania's public-safety vice president. In that spirit, a few dos and don'ts of personal safety: Don't walk by yourself, especially in a secluded area or after dark.

Andre Agassi withdrew from Wimbledon because of an injury for the second straight year yesterday, leaving fans to wonder whether they'll ever see him play again at the All England Club. The 1992 Wimbledon champion and 1999 runner-up sent a fax to the grass-court Grand Slam tournament saying he was out. An exact injury wasn't announced by organizers, and Agassi's agent didn't immediately return phone messages. But Agassi was hobbled by an inflamed nerve in his back during his 7-5, 4-6, 6-7 (6)

Reckless tax increase The Greater Philadelphia Association of Realtors vehemently opposes a proposal to raise the statewide realty-transfer tax from 1 to 1.5 percent to help fund mass transit. Any raise in the transfer tax would be an affront to first-time homebuyers and an unpredictable source of revenue at best. Since Pennsylvania already has one of the highest realty-transfer tax rates in the nation, this proposal could quickly lead to a real estate recession and reverse the growth we have seen.

With obscenity-yelling, flag-burning protesters behind him, and tear-gas-spraying, riot-geared police in front of him, Justin Shenk just wanted to make peace. So the 21-year-old native of Akron, Lancaster County, knelt down in front of an eight-foot black metal security fence with his back to the historic and posh Willard Hotel. He bowed his head, clasped his hands and prayed. Alone. And then the police from behind the fence doused him with pepper spray. They tossed icy water and more pepper spray.

Pepper spray and car washes might not go together after all. Mace Security International Inc., a maker of pepper spray, said yesterday that it had hired Legg Mason Wood Walker Inc. to explore a sale of its division that operates car and truck washes. The Mount Laurel company said it would consider a sale of its 49 car washes and five truck washes if the price significantly exceeded its $30 million in debt associated with those operations. "We wouldn't just sell it for the debt," said Mace's executive vice president and general counsel, Robert M. Kramer.

As the nation continues to recover from its massive voter turnout, the celebs - some of whom voted just like regular folk - continue their regular forays into the irregular. First up, more well-peppered fallout from the, um, fallout between R&B and hip-hop. R&B, represented by alleged pornographer R. Kelly, wants more money out of hip-hop than originally reported. Kelly, who says Jay-Z was jealous that more money would be paid to his Best of Both Worlds tour partner, isn't asking for $60 mil. Or even $75 mil. According to the Smoking Gun Web site, Kelly's suit, filed in New York Supreme Court, seeks $90 mil. While he's hitting Jay-Z for $75 mil, he's going after the show's promoter, Atlanta Worldwide, for $15 mil more.

The Philadelphia School District is cleaning house at Lincoln High in the Northeast. It plans to expel eight Lincoln students arrested in two recent melees - including brawls that turned into a cafeteria food fight on Friday - and could send up to two dozen others who have been chronically truant and disruptive to alternative programs, said Paul Vallas, district chief executive officer. The district also installed an acting principal at the 2,400-student school, sent in a crisis team to work on restoring order, and added police officers and other security after Friday's incident in which city police converged on Lincoln and several students were arrested.

For the third time in recent weeks, an encounter between students at Lincoln High School or on nearby streets led to police converging on the campus and arresting students. Yesterday's disturbance left one student with a minor injury - a cut lip treated in the principal's office. Problems began with two "small fights" involving about seven students around 1 p.m. in a lunchroom, said Paul Vallas, the Philadelphia School District's chief executive officer. Then "about 100 students decided to turn it into a food fight.