A Florida man was caught on video pushing and shoving employees at a Walmart after being told he couldn’t enter the store without a face mask.
A video of the rampant encounter was shared Saturday on Twitter and shows a masked employee trying to block the unidentified man from entering the store. It is unclear who filmed the video.
The man tries to push the employee but stumbles and falls. He stands up and makes his way, pushing the employee back.
“You have to wear a mask, brother,” says an off-camera man. “These people are stumbling.”
The employee tries again to get the man out of the store.
“I need you,” says the worker as the man ignores the employee and goes deeper into the store. A second video shows the Walmart employee walking with the man toward the exit.
“Look what you did to me,” says the employee. The unmasked man replies angrily, “I have done nothing with you.”
The incident occurred at an Orlando Walmart. The Orange County Sheriff’s Office told NBC News that they responded to Walmart at 7:15 am Saturday in response to a riot call and that by the time the agents arrived, the suspect was gone.
“The victim in the case refused medical attention and the call was cleared,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement. “No report was written, but we can confirm that OCSO answered this call.”
Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings signed an executive order requiring people to wear masks while in public. The order went into effect just after midnight Saturday.
Walmart said in a statement that it has signs posted outside its stores that remind customers to wear masks.
“Maintaining customer and partner safety remains our top priority,” a company spokesperson said in a statement. “We encourage clients to be especially aware of one another during this unprecedented time and to adhere to the recommendations and decisions made by local officials regarding the use of protective facial coatings in public spaces.”
