A Louisiana man was arrested after allegedly colliding his car with a police officer who asked him to wear a mask at a Walmart store.
Ricky Taylor, 64, faces charges of disorderly conduct, resisting an officer, and aggravated assault with a motorized vehicle against a peace officer, according to an arrest report by the West Monroe Police Department.
The officer had told Taylor inside the Walmart on Tuesday that it was policy for each customer to wear a mask, according to an arrest affidavit. Taylor responded by cursing the officer, saying, “You can’t make me wear a shit mask” and “I’m not wearing a shit mask.”
The officer asked Taylor for his license when he started leaving the store, to which Taylor replied, “I could give it to him but I couldn’t,” the affidavit said.
The officer then followed Taylor out of the store, and as he reported Taylor’s license plate number to dispatch “Taylor backed up his vehicle and hit him twice differently,” the arrest report said.
The officer said he did not fall after being hit, but he did lose his balance.
Another officer who responded to the scene asked Taylor to get out of his car and tried to handcuff him, who withdrew his arms, fell to the ground and continued to resist arrest while on the ground, according to the affidavit. He was finally arrested.
Taylor was hired at the Ouachita Correctional Center, prison records show. He was released on $ 2,250 bail the next day, a police spokesman said.
It is not clear if Taylor has an attorney. Efforts to contact him by phone were unsuccessful.
Taylor told police that she cannot wear a mask due to a medical condition, according to the arrested report. She also said she did not see the officer behind her car when she backed up.
Walmart announced Wednesday that customers will be required to wear masks at its more than 5,000 stores in an effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday about the incident with Taylor.
Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards issued a state-wide public mask mandate on July 11 for people ages 8 and up, unless health problems exempt them.
“This is a mandate, not a law. In announcing the mandate, Governor Edwards himself says it will not be enforceable by law enforcement,” the West Monroe Police Department said in a statement.
“However, companies must insist that customers wear masks. If you enter a company and are told to wear a mask, you are expected to comply. Business owners have the right to require customers to wear masks. and ask them to leave if they don’t. “said the statement. “In the event that the client denies the request of the business owners and also refuses to leave when asked to leave for noncompliance, the client could face criminal trespassing charges for refusing to leave the premises after being asked to do so. indicate “.
