Mask mayhem at Florida, California Walmarts
Shoppers refusing to wear masks in stores despite employees' pleas, at times prompting police action
An employee at a California Walmart called the cops on a family of shoppers who allegedly would not leave the store after refusing to wear a face covering in the second mask-related incident reported at one of the company's locations, according to a police official and local reports.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WMT | WALMART INC. | 82.43 | +0.24 | +0.29% |
A shopper in Turlock, a city just over 14 miles south of Modesto in Stanislaus County, captured footage of police issuing a citation to a man on Saturday after officers on scene said he didn’t have masks for at least two kids, according to the video, which was later posted to Facebook.
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The shopper, Bobbie Carne, told local ABC 10 that Walmart’s store manager asked police to arrest the man after employees were unable to enforce the mask requirement. He was ultimately cited for trespassing.
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"The manager came out and he was really, really upset," Carne told the outlet. "He said 'Yes, of course, I want him arrested. How are we going to enforce it?' He was flailing his arms around and really aggressive."
Carne’s video shows the man walking out of the store in a huff, with two kids and a handful of police in tow.
On Sunday, Turlock Police Chief Nino Amirfar posted a video on his personal Facebook pleading with the public to follow novel coronavirus-prompted guidelines, such as wearing masks. He further described last week’s incident at the local Walmart.
“Yesterday, there was an incident at a local business where the business had asked individuals who had children with them to wear masks. Those individuals refused, as is their right. The business refused also to serve them and asked them to leave, as is the business' right,” Amirfar said. “We responded to the business because the business managers requested that we respond for trespassing as the individuals refused to leave.”
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He stressed that while the department would not arrest people for failing to wear masks or face coverings, it will be taking action when a business asks to have charges filed against a person for trespassing.
"The Turlock Police Department is not issuing citations for not wearing masks, nor are we going to respond to businesses simply because someone is not wearing a mask," Amirfar continued, "however if that business refuses to serve you and asks you to leave, you should leave … We also will require that business to ensure that they want trespassing charges before I send my officers.”
Just days earlier and reportedly in Orlando, Florida, an irate Walmart shopper who allegedly refused to wear a mask shoved an employee who tried to block him from entering the store.
The interaction, which was caught on video, began when the man tried walking into the store and even continues after the man falls to the ground.
The man continues into the store – despite public pleas for him to wear a mask and offers from other shoppers who can be heard telling him they have extras.
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An executive order issued Saturday requires “every person working, living, visiting, or doing business” in Florida’s Orange County to wear a CDC-approved face covering.
The executive order adds: “All businesses are strongly encouraged to follow CDC guidelines or industry standards (if any) on face coverings and social distancing.”
It wasn't immediately clear if the man faced any criminal charges related to the incident.