LOS ANGELES — Video posted on social media shows a man wearing a “your mask makes you look stupid” t-shirt ranting about masks to a group of children in California.
Editor’s note: The video can be seen here, but does contain profanity.
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies were called to a shopping center parking lot for a man harassing people, KTLA reported. The caller reportedly told the sheriff’s department the man was “pushing juveniles and poking heads into vehicles,” KTLA reported.
The same man has allegedly been harassing children in the area for the last month, targeting children who are wearing masks, KCBS reported. In the video posted online, you can hear the man refer to wearing a mask as “child abuse.”
The man left before sheriff’s deputies got to the scene, but the sheriff’s office said it’s investigating. “Anybody that has a First Amendment right, that doesn’t agree with something that’s going on in this country can do what they want. But we are going to look at this as a criminal matter, and see if there’s any violations to that,” acting captain Robert Hahnlein of the LASD told KNBC.
Investigators have asked anyone who was victimized by the incident to call them, and encouraged residents to be aware of their surroundings and not to engage with angry people, KTLA reported.
In California, masks are currently required in all indoor public spaces.
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