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Florida man arrested for what he allegedly did to a child when he refused to remove his mask
Photo: Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images

Florida man arrested for what he allegedly did to a child when he refused to remove his mask

"You now have coronavirus"

Police arrested a man in Treasure Island, Florida, after he allegedly grabbed a child when he refused to take his mask off.

The bizarre incident occurred at Ricky T's Bar & Grille on Sunday, according to police.

According the arrest affidavit, 47-year-old Jason Copenhaver approached the child and asked him if he was wearing a mask. When the child said he was, the man told him to take it off and shake his hand.

Copenhaver then allegedly grabbed the child's hand when he refused and said, "You now have coronavirus."

"Victim stated that (Copenhaver) was in such close proximity that spit particles from (Copenhaver's) mouth landed in his face," wrote an officer.

Restaurant workers said that the man wasn't wearing any shoes and tried to hit an employee twice. They also said that he appeared to be drunk.

The same employee took control of Copenhaver and held him to the ground until police arrived, according to WTVT-TV.

Authorities did not release the age of the child.

Copenhaver was arrested and charged with simple battery and disorderly conduct. He was released on $650 bail.

Police say he told them that he didn't know if he had coronavirus and had never been tested for the virus.

Americans fed up with masks

Disputes over masks have made headlines across the country and are likely to increase as local governments respond to a spike in coronavirus cases.

In Michigan a local commissioner blamed the mask mandate on "them n****** down in Detroit," which occasioned lawmakers from both sides of the aisle to call for his resignation.

In Washington state, a man was caught on video viciously beating a partially disabled elderly veteran, allegedly because he had made a comment to the attacker's girlfriend about wearing mask.

Another incident in Jacksonville, Florida, involved a woman purposely coughing on another woman who was recording her heated interaction with employees at a Pier 1 store. The victim was wearing mask because she was receiving treatment for a brain tumor, and the aggressor was later charged with assault.

A poll in July found that 75% of Americans supported orders for people to wear masks in public around other people. Another 13% said they opposed the orders.

Here's more about mask wearing in America:

Americans still weary of face masks as COVID-19 pandemic cases surgeswww.youtube.com

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