A 21-year-old Austintown woman spent the night in jail after being arrested for allegedly pepper spraying a Hubbard couple and their children outside her home.

Mariah Brown was booked into the Mahoning County Jail on charges of assault and obstructing official business following her arrest Thursday night at her Atlanta Avenue duplex.

A 36-year-old man and his 29-year-old fiancé told police that Brown shot pepper spray as they sat in their car with their 1-year-old child and two other children.

According to witnesses, those involved had been arguing prior to the incident.

Brown denied knowing about the pepper spray, a can of which was found by police found near a dumpster.

As she was being handcuffed, Brown tearfully asked officers why she was being arrested, claiming she had acted in self-defense after being pushed down during the confrontation.

The couple and their three children were treated by EMTs on the scene for the effects of the pepper spray.