Massachusetts Man Coughs, Spits On Food Items At Grocery Store Amid Coronavirus Outbreak, Gets Arrested

Shoppers at Stop & Shop in Kingston, Massachusetts, tackled and pinned down a man for allegedly coughing and spitting on food items amid the coronavirus outbreak.

“The Kingston Police responded to Stop & Shop located at 160 Summer Street shortly before noon on Saturday 4/4/2020 for a report of a disturbance,” Kingston Massachusetts Police Department wrote in a Facebook statement.

The 65-year-old man, whose identity was not revealed, was held down by the shoppers at the grocery store.

“The investigation remains on-going. It is alleged that a 65-year-old male from Duxbury was coughing and spitting and became confrontational with staff and witnesses. The incident escalated into a physical confrontation,” the statement read.

In a video, shot by one of the shoppers at the store, the man was seen pinned down by three other men. The shoppers were heard shouting at the man saying “don’t try to get up”.

According to, Kyle Mann, the shopper who recorded the video, the unidentified man and a worker at the store had a heated exchange of words after the latter saw him deliberately coughing and spitting on food items.

“Some guy at Stop and Shop in Kingston was coughing and spitting on the produce, he didn’t last long. He fought an employee and good customers took him down until the cops arrived,” Mann captioned his Facebook post.

”I was shopping in the produce [aisle] when all of a sudden I turned the corner,” Mann told local media, adding that he "saw a worker and the man yelling with other people watching."

“While that was happening, I heard them talking about him spitting and coughing on the produce, which is how I learned what happened seconds after I arrived and shot the video,” he added.

The "extremely aggressive man" allegedly tried to punch the employee who tried to confront him. The employee ducked and responded with a blow in the man’s face. The onlookers at the store immediately responded to the situation and brought the man to the floor. They held him on the ground until the police arrived. The officers took the man away.

“At this time, we have no reason to believe the individual has COVID-19. Out of extreme caution, the individual was transported to the BID-Plymouth Hospital to be evaluated,” the police statement said.

The police contacted the Kingston Board of Health officials who immediately responded to Stop & Shop to ensure public safety.

Any items suspected to be contaminated were thrown away by store authorities and the area underwent deep cleansing. The police warned the man not to go to the store anymore. He may be charged with assault & battery, assault & battery with a dangerous weapon (kicking or stomping), and destruction of property (store produce).