A man launches into a profanity-laced tirade against masks in a supermarket in Arizona before being run out of the store by another customer.
A 49-second video posted on Facebook Monday that has been viewed more than 65,000 times shows a man in a white hat and blue shirt calling profanities at a Sprouts Farmers Market store in Tucson with three other younger men around him. Not one of them has masks.
In the video, the elderly man, whose identity has not been revealed, can be heard screaming, “These people will not learn.”
“You’re a bunch of idiots wearing masks,” he says. “You know it’s not real.”
This video contains obscene language that may offend viewers.
The man then walks closer to a Sprouts employee wearing a mask and using a series of expletives.
“Look at those fools,” he says. He compares a mask to a doily and calls someone an “r —–.”
One of the cameras seems to be cursing at the four men. Another man in the video who appears to be from a customer step between the man and the employee.
The man tells the customer, “Come outside and show me how tough you are” and threatens to hit the mask off his face. At least two of the younger men address the man through “Dad” and start sending him to the door.
The man who calls is then picked up by one of the men with him, carried out of the store and is seen over a stack of boxes clapping on the way out.
It is unclear what happened before the video was recorded.
A spokesman for Sprouts said the company was unable to elaborate on the incident that happened Saturday due to a pending investigation.
“According to company guidelines, Sprouts management did not physically deal with the individuals, but instead informed local police of the violation before the individuals left the store,” the spokesman said in a statement.
Local police did not respond to requests for further information from NBC News Wednesday.
Sprouts require customers over 2 years of age to wear face masks to protect against the spread of the coronavirus.
Sprouts offers a number of accommodations for those who may not or are unwilling to wear a mask or face mask, including personalized shopping options for those who are medically exempt, such as ordering online for pickup and delivery of the sidewalk, “said the statement.
