Angry shopper leans under Plexiglass to spit on grocery worker, Pennsylvania cops say
A disgruntled customer leaned under a Plexiglass barrier and spit on a grocery store employee, Pennsylvania officials say.
Brandon Thompson, who officials dubbed the “spitting shopper,” was arrested Wednesday, according to a news release from the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office.
Thompson was at a Giant Eagle supermarket in the Pittsburgh area and demanded be get a money order worth $100, the county’s police department wrote in a Facebook post earlier this month. When workers figured out Thompson had actually paid $50, he started “screaming and threatening employees,” officials say.
During the dispute, police say Thompson crouched under a piece of Plexiglass and spit on a worker’s face, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports. The supermarket chain installed the plastic shields to help stop the spread of COVID-19, according to the newspaper.
A manager at the store told WPXI the spit landed on her face and neck, making her concerned about her relatives who have diabetes.
People with underlying conditions, like diabetes, may have a higher risk of getting seriously sick from COVID-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“I have to wait and wonder if I’m hurting my family,” Aisha Mariner told the TV station.
During the coronavirus pandemic, “spitting on someone’s face is putting a person in jeopardy, where ‘the potential could be death,’” Edgewood police chief Robert Payne said, according to the Tribune-Review.
“How this Edgewood guest acted is wholly unacceptable, and his actions do not reflect the calm, positive and appreciative attitude of so many of those shopping in our stores,” Giant Eagle said in a statement to KDKA.
Thompson, 23, was charged with “terroristic threats, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person, harassment, and disorderly conduct,” according to Allegheny deputies.
Also in Pennsylvania, officials are searching for a woman accused of spitting on and threatening a grocery store employee, according to the Harrisburg Bureau of Police. Officers say Erica Everett is facing a terroristic threat charge after an “altercation” at a Giant supermarket.
This story was originally published April 16, 2020 at 4:00 PM.
