A passenger in a passing vehicle sprayed an East Lansing police officer with bear spray while the officer patrolled downtown on foot, the department said.

The attack happened in the early morning hours of Sunday, Sept. 13, in downtown East Lansing. The East Lansing Police Department (ELPD) did not release a more specific time or location, the Lansing State Journal reported.

Other ELPD officers traveling in a nearby vehicle witnessed the assault, according to the department's official statement. Those officers had already received reports of a similar-looking vehicle being used to spray a chemical substance at other people in the downtown area.

Officers caught up to the suspect vehicle and conducted a felony stop. ELPD said the stop was carried out as a felony because using bear spray to attack someone is a criminal offense in Michigan.

Inside the vehicle, officers found a stun gun, several canisters of pepper spray and a half-empty canister of bear and mountain lion spray. The department said that canister is believed to have been used in the attack on the officer.

All three people in the vehicle were under 18. They were taken into custody while a parent or guardian was contacted for each. The suspect believed to have sprayed the officer was transferred to a youth detention center.

No charges have been announced.

Capt. Adrian Ojerio, a 25-year ELPD veteran who serves as the department's information officer, released the statement, the Lansing State Journal reported. The department did not release information on the officer's condition.

ELPD's statement described the suspect as "believed to have" committed the assault. The department noted that East Lansing enforces a curfew ordinance prohibiting anyone under 18 from being on public streets, in parks or in parking facilities between midnight and 6 a.m. Minors under 12 face an earlier curfew starting at 10 p.m.

Anyone with information about the incident can contact ELPD.