Police attack Senator Kohl's primary challenger with pepper spray

Democratic Senate hopeful Ben Masel was arrested and sprayed with pepper spray while collecting nomination signatures Thursday night on the Memorial Union Terrace.

Officers Michael Mansavage and John McCaughtry arrived and asked Masel for his identification, which Masel twice refused to present. Masel turned to walk away and one of the officers - Larson couldn't say which one - grabbed Masel by the wrist to prevent him from leaving.

Masel then "flailed his arms at the officers" and one of the officer blasted him with pepper spray before arresting him.

Masel said today in an interview that he never resisted. For one thing, he said, it would have been impossible to flail his arms because the officer never let go of one of them and the other arm was clutching his clipboard of signatures.

Masel said the officer didn't simply grab his wrist. "He grabbed my arm and pulled it back."

He said the officer pulled him face down to the ground, held his arms back, then one of them sprayed him again. He questioned why that was necessary.

The report does not say if Masel got the signatures of the officers on his nomination papers.