Mail carrier accused of spraying letters with pepper spray, giving them to dog

TORRANCE, Calif. - A postal delivery worker in Torrance is accused of pepper spraying mail and giving it to a dog inside a home.

"The dog is in the house and the windows are closed," said Danna Guszak. "There’s no threat at all to this man at all."

What we know:

In the surveillance video obtained exclusively by FOX 11, the mail carrier can be seen outside the Torrance home last week looking around. He then appears to open one of several pepper spray canisters from his waist and spray the homeowner’s mail. He walks a few steps, looks around, and sprays the mail again.

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Moments later, the delivery person walks to the family's front door, and the dog inside the home starts barking. The mail carrier puts the mail into the home’s slot and walks away mumbling.

"He says, ‘Okay, enjoy,’ [to the dog]," said Danna. "I don’t even understand that. He clearly knows the dog is going to get that mail."

Inside the home was the family’s French Bulldog named Jax.

What they're saying:

According to Danna’s husband, Raymond, who was home at the time, Jax had an unusual reaction to the mail and started drooling. Raymond said he picked up the mail and felt a slimy orange substance that smelled like pepper spray. Then, his eyes started tearing up as well.

Raymond and Danna say they’ve never had any negative reactions or issues with mail carriers.

"Never," said Danna. "None. Never issues with any mail carrier."

The dog is okay, but his owners worry about others in the Torrance community.

"What if a child picked up that mail and ingested it?" said Raymond. "Or was he trying to harm the people inside the home? I’m not sure what the intent was."

Danna and Raymond say they’ve shown their stained mail to police and the Untied States Postal Service.

The other side:

A spokesperson from the USPS tells FOX 11, "The United States Postal Service holds its employees to high standards of conduct, and any actions which conflict with these values are taken seriously. We are currently reviewing this incident and will take appropriate action based on the results to ensure alignment with our commitment to integrity and professionalism."

"In my eyes, they’re not taking into account that I now have to live with the fact that I’m scared," said Danna.

"I believe if you tamper with mail, it’s a federal crime," said Raymond. "Especially if you have some liquid or poison on the mail."

What's next:

A different delivery person has been bringing them mail the last few days. It’s unclear if or what action has been taken by the USPS to the postal worker involved.

"We’re not comfortable anymore," said Raymond. "I want to be able to trust the postal carriers."