ODESSA, Texas (KMID/KPEJ) — A pharmacy in Texas took to Facebook this week to respond to an alleged incident in which a teen reportedly stole and ate a Lil’ Nitro — described as “The World’s Hottest Gummy Bear” — and almost immediately suffered the consequences.
The operators of Sunflower Rx, in downtown Odessa, said they’re hoping the teen has learned his lesson.
In the Facebook post, the operators or Sunflower Rx said the teen and his friend visited the store on Monday, Oct. 3, and quickly left. A short while later, the suspect reportedly ran back into the store, sweating, and grabbed an iced tea. He then threw himself to the floor, at which point employees asked if they should call an ambulance.
“Please don’t,” he said, according to the pharmacy’s Facebook post. “I’m OK, I just ate something really spicy.”
When asked if employees should try calling the boy’s parents, he again said no. But he asked for a trash can, worried that he might vomit.
A “very sweet girl” then came inside the store — the pharmacy’s employees thought it might be his sister — and removed the boy from the store. She also offered to pay for the tea, according to the Facebook post.
Once outside, employees said they watched as the teen “heaved” all over the sidewalk.
The girl then returned to the store, purchased a Powerade for the teen, and allegedly tried to explain that the boy had just eaten something spicy on an empty stomach.
After the teens left, employees noticed that a Lil’ Nitro gummy candy — advertised as “The World’s Hottest Gummy Bear” — was missing from the shelf.
The super-spicy snack, made by Flamethrower Candy, is said to be 900 times hotter than a jalapeno, and measure 9 million on the Scoville scale, according to its packaging. The box also warns against keeping the gummy within reach of kids and pets, and advises those with heart or respiratory conditions to avoid eating it.
“We just put most of our inventory out yesterday,” the store wrote in its Facebook post. “I remember thinking these bears might be a problem. Anyway, there were five, and now there are four.”
The operators of Sunflower Rx said they won’t be pressing charges against the alleged thief, addressing him directly in their Facebook post.
“I hope you are feeling better, but not so much that you didn’t learn something,” the post read.