MIAMI (WSVN) - A man was captured on camera ranting at employees at a Miami store after they asked him to leave because he refused to put on a mask while shopping.
The verbal tirade happened on Sunday at around 1 p.m. at Herbin’ Living, off Biscayne Boulevard, when a repeat customer came into the store without a mask.
The store’s surveillance video captured the man gesturing towards employees while saying, “Get on your knees and suck my [expletive] while I take your hair and [expletive] thrust you into my [expletive]. [Expletive] you, [expletive] you, [expletive] you.”
“Being a retail worker during the pandemic has not been an easy thing,” store manager Stephen, who did not state his last name, said. “It was not normal seeing an individual like that. Making threats, even telling vulgar things, like spitting down people’s throats and stuff, and then, he was no longer allowed to come back to the store. On Sunday, he came back.”
“I’m refusing you service and asking you to leave my store before I call the police,” Stephen said to the man.
“[Expletive], [expletive], suck my [expletive],” the man replied. “Suck it, suck it until you [expletive] die.”
When asked if he was worried for the safety of the store’s employees, Stephen said, “I mean, absolutely and in anything in that situation, obviously, the first thing anyone thinks is ‘How can I defend myself?’ The entire experience itself? Very shaking.”
The customer then let his anger out by toppling a hand sanitizer dispenser and a mannequin outside of the store as he left.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis rolled back all COVID-19 emergency orders on Monday, including mask mandates. Businesses can require customers to wear masks, however.
“The approach here is showing Florida leading the way again,” DeSantis said.
Although the government cannot mandate people to wear masks, businesses can refuse service if they do not wear one.
“We still exist as a private business, have that right to run our business like that, and if you don’t want to agree with that, that’s OK,” Stephen said. “I don’t need that business here. People make mistakes, and he’s a person, and he should learn from this experience.”
7News reached out to the customer for comment but has yet to hear back.
City of Miami Police said they are investigating the incident.
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