Um.....the kid could have been hurt far worse with a baton. Like ohhh...a slight mis with the baton could send your kneeecap to places it was not designed to go, or even break a leg. Pepper mace is not used with a slight whiff. I've been trained to spray for one full second, ...trust me that's not a whiff....and if if an officer is using a spray instead of a foam....there will be a mist that will affect the officer and bystanders, especially in the enclosed are of the room they were in.
If I'm spraying someone, I don't want them to flee, I want to arrest them....to bring them under control so they or myself don't get hurt in an altercation. If someone has to get hurt..better the suspect than me.