Photo Credit: Billy Corben/Twitter
Yesterday a Florida man went viral for a meltdown in Costco over being asked to wear a mask. The King of Karens is what I like to call him because it wasn’t just a normal tantrum like the elderly woman in another video who just sat in the middle of the floor refusing to leave another Costco, this man had a rage and roid filled, vein throbbing shouting fest over it.
“I feel threatened” were the words being blared out of his mouth at a store employee who came to defend an elderly woman who asked him why he wasn’t wearing a mask. He had to be escorted out of the store and he was confirmed to have left before the elderly woman was escorted to her car to ensure her safety.
“I Feel Threatened”
This happened in Florida, at a Fort Myers Costco. This “very fine person” aggressively charged an elderly person who asked him to wear a mask.#Costco should revoke this mans membership for violently confronting a customer. Let’s all let Costco know. pic.twitter.com/NIbr040Agr
— Ryan Guillory Sr. 💫💫 🇺🇸 (@Mr_RyanGuillory) July 7, 2020
The words “I feel threatened” are significant because in Florida, the Stand Your Ground law allows you to shoot people if you feel threatened. For starters, no one whose body is completely tensed yelling to the top of their lungs is threatened, as many on social media pointed out. He also sounded like a police officer who had experience with that type of threatening language and behavior. Surprisingly, Daniel Maples, the man in the video was not and his employer Charley Todd, CEO of Ted Todd Insurance where he was an insurance agent has let him go and made a public statement about the event.
“Threatening behavior and intimidation go against our core mission to be trusted advisors in our community,” Todd’s statement read. “We are also committed to immediately reviewing our internal existing culture.” Costco has declined a statement but wearing a mask in their stores has been their policy since May.
The head of Ted Todd Insurance made the right decision. This type of terrorizing community behavior needs to stop. And thank God we have cell phone cameras to document these events.
