Man yells ‘I feel threatened!’ after being confronted in Costco for not wearing a face mask
Costco customer screams and walks aggressively towards person filming after being confronted for not wearing a face mask
Not long after the video went viral, a Florida insurance company tweeted that the man in the video was an employee of their company, stating that the man had been terminated from the company.
FORT MYERS, Fla. - A video circulating on social media shows the moment a Costco customer apparently confronted another shopper in Florida for not wearing a facial covering. The conflict escalated when the man who was confronted began screaming, "I feel threatened,” at the customer who confronted him.
Film director Billy Corben reposted the video to his Twitter account on July 7, and the tweet has received over 40,000 retweets since.
Not long after, Ted Todd Insurance tweeted that the man in the video was an employee of their company, stating that the man had been terminated from the company.
“Thank you to everyone for their comments and messages raising awareness about a former employee at Ted Todd Insurance,” the company said in a statement posted to their Twitter account. “Their behavior in the video is in direct conflict with our company values and their employment has been terminated.”
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According to Storyful, the encounter began with an apparent disagreement over mask usage. In the footage, the man is not wearing a mask, though it’s unclear what the substance of the discussion was up until that point.
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Storyful reported that the person who took the video requested to remain anonymous.
“I feel threatened,” the man yells in the video as he approaches the recorder. “Back off!”
Costco announced in May that it would require its customers to wear a face covering that specifically covers the mouth and nose at all times.
“Costco employees are required to wear face coverings, and now we are asking that Costco members do so too,” the company said in a statement on their website. “We know some members may find this inconvenient or objectionable, but under the circumstances we believe the added safety is worth any inconvenience. This is not simply a matter of personal choice; a face covering protects not just the wearer, but others too.”
RELATED: ‘I’m not doing it’: Man refusing to wear mask inside Costco kicked out of store
Despite the effort to ensure the safety of other customers, Costco’s policy hasn’t stopped some from disobeying the order.
A customer who refused to put on a mask in violation of Costco’s policy was booted from one of the warehouse store’s locations in Colorado on May 16.
The customer, who identified himself as Garrett to Storyful, filmed the encounter with a store employee that led up to his expulsion from the store.
“I’ll just put you on my 3,000-follower Instagram feed,” Garrett is heard saying to the employee.
After a series of back-and-forth comments between the employee and customer, the employee responded, “Sir, have a great day. You are no longer welcome in our warehouse. You need to leave. Thank you very much.”
Storyful contributed to this report. This story was reported from Los Angeles.