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Arizona man carried out of store by son during profane rant about wearing masks, threatening customers

A video of the incident appeared to be shot by another customer was widely shared on social media and was filmed last Saturday, August 8, at a Sprouts Farmers Market

A man in Arizona unleashed a profanity-filled tantrum at a grocery store, which required customers to wear masks, and had to eventually be carried out by his son. A video of the incident, appeared to be shot by another customer, was widely shared on social media and was filmed last Saturday, August 8, at a Sprouts Farmers Market off River Road.

Pima County, last month, had issued a mandatory mask policy, requiring all its residents to wear face coverings in an attempt to curb the spread of coronavirus cases in the region. Ever since the mandate, most businesses in the region have also asked patrons to wear face masks to come inside stores.

In the viral clip, a man appeared to launch into a tirade about masks after he was refused service by the grocery store for not wearing one. The father was heard in the video, saying: "These people won't learn. You're a bunch of idiots wearing masks you know it's not real." He also repeatedly appeared to call the staff "retards" as a crowd of people, who were not wearing masks either, attempted to try to calm him down. 

The irate father then turned towards masked customers in the store trying to shop, and said: "Look at you fools you have a f*****g doily on your face you r****d. It looks like you got it off your mom's countertop."

As more customers wearing masks began approaching the man, he began yelling at them to come outside so that they can show him how "tough" they are. He said: "I'll beat that f*****g mask off your face." As his rant began to become violent, his son approached him and began pushing him back in an effort to get him to leave the store. The father, however, continued yelling: "You're all a bunch of p*****s wearing masks." His son, however, at that moment, picked him up and carried him out of the store. 

The man continued to yell more profanities as he was taken out of the store, and ultimately his tirade came to an end after he destroyed one of the displays placed outside the grocery store. 

In an effort to avoid such incidents, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker passed a law last week penalizing anyone who assaults an employee enforcing the use of masks and face coverings to curb the spread of coronavirus. The governor said that the assault of a worker who's "conveying public health guidance," under the new law, can now be prosecuted as aggravated battery, a felony in the state. The law went into effect immediately.

The governor's office, in a statement, said: "This provision sends the message that it's vitally important for workers to be both respected and protected while serving on the frontlines."

The law comes into effect at a time when multiple reports have emerged across the country of disputes over masks turning violent. Earlier this month, a woman in New Jersey assaulted another customer at a Staples store who asked her to wear her mask over her nose and mouth. In another similar incident, a man from Pennsylvania shot at a cigar shop employee who had reportedly asked him to wear a mask. In yet another violent incident that took place in May, security footage at a Target store in Los Angeles showed a man shopping there breaking the arm of an employee in an argument over wearing face masks.