PD: 5 kids attacked by bees in Peoria

PEORIA, AZ - At Shower Door and More, customers usually walk in, but on Thursday afternoon, thousands of unruly customers came in flying.

A swarm of bees followed and stung five young people, who firefighters said tried to open an irrigation box near a sidewalk on 91st Avenue, south of Peoria.

"We just heard a bunch of kids screaming. We just thought they were messing around in the parking lot,” said Kim Bearden, who works at the store where the kids ended up seeking cover.

The kids’ ages ranged between 5 and 14.

"Once they got closer you could see the bees over them and they started coming in with some of the bees,” Bearden said.

“They were trying to take off jackets and stuff … get the bees out of their hair,” she added.

Four of the five kids were stung in their upper bodies.

Bill Stallman saw the commotion.

“One of them fell into the bushes and they ran about a quarter of mile down the street,” Stallman said of the kids.

“We're not talking what you see in the movies, that type of swarm, but you could see quite a few bees over these kids and they were just screaming,” Bearden said.

Firefighters said this should serve as a lesson not to mess with bees.

"The bees whether they're Africanized or not are going to protect their home, they're going to protect where they live like anyone else would," said Peoria Fire Deputy Chief Rick Picard.

Because of concern for the safety of nearby workers, firefighters used special foam to control and kill the bees.

The kids were taken to the hospital but are expected to be OK.