‘Irate’ Dollar Tree shopper arrested after fight over social distancing, Florida cops say
A man upset over social distancing measures was arrested at a Dollar Tree in Madeira Beach.
According to a police report from the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were called to the discount store after an employee said she had been attacked.
The victim told deputies that Stephan Fanelli had cut the line and put his things in front of another customer’s at the cash register.
The cashier requested that Fanelli step back to his place in line and respect “social distancing rules” amid the coronavirus crisis.
The defendant became “irate,” according to the complaint.
When the victim began removing his items off the counter, Fanelli struck her and pushed her in the chest., the report said.
An deputy was able to corroborate the story by looking at store surveillance video.
An independent witness also stated she observed Fanelli strike the cashier “multiple times.”
The 55-year-old Florida man was arrested last Friday on a battery charge and held on $2,500 bond.
Over the weekend, in Key West, a father and daughter were attacked with a baseball bat by a group of partiers after they complained that they should be practicing social distancing. Police were unable to track down the assailants.
