Virginia 53-year-old stomps on man’s face, breaks his dentures for not social distancing at pool, police say
NAPLES, FLORIDA: A man from Virginia has been arrested and charged for allegedly stomping another man’s face. The victim was reportedly not maintaining social distance, which prompted Rayford Smith of Glen Allen, Virginia, to attack him. The alleged incident took place at the Willough in Naples on Friday, January 29, Newsweek reported. The 53-year-old accused has been charged with battery. Reports said that on the day of the incident, Smith was sitting on a bench near the pool when the victim came there. Since the other man was not following the social distancing rule amid the coronavirus pandemic, the accused became irritated. “Rayford told him to get away from him and that he was too close to him," the arrest report stated. Though the victim left after Smith became irritated, he returned later, which left the alleged felon more infuriated. He pushed the unidentified victim to the ground, hit him, and stomped on his face. The alleged violent attack reportedly left the victim with broken dentures.
Abela Jean, a worker at the community, reportedly heard the altercation, after which she ran to save the victim. Jean said to the deputies that when she reached the pool area, she saw Smith with his foot on the victim's face. She added that it appeared like he was about to stomp on his face again, but Jean intervened. Deputies also took the victim’s statement, who told them he could not save himself because the attack was very prompt. After the attack, the victim was taken to the hospital where his injuries were treated. While Willough’s management said after seeing the surveillance video of the incident, it seems the alleged attack was not provoked. Smith has been held at the Collier County Jail.
In another incident in August 2020, an old man was attacked after he asked a woman to follow social distance at a supermarket. The victim was reportedly a 75-year-old man who underwent surgery to have a stent put in his heart. He told police that the incident started unfolding at a Daytona Beach Shores Publix checkout line. The man, whose name was not known, said since he underwent surgery he was concerned about social distancing and asked the woman to adhere to health rules due to the Covid-19.
Inside the store, nothing much happened, but the police report said after the elderly was outside his car, he was approached by a man who shouted, "You [expletive] gator redneck how dare you!". The victim alleged that the man struck him in the chest and pushed him to the ground before standing over him and yelling, “One word, and I'll kill you!" The old man claimed that the man was with the woman whom he confronted inside the store. He saw the two driving off in a Cadillac. "It's just horrible the fact that social distancing becomes something to go smash people and knock them to the ground. As we all know with this pandemic, everybody’s very uptight and he asked the lady to give him some distance. The lady did so. He paid for his products and walked outside,” Daytona Beach Shores Police Chief Stephan Dembinsy said.