The Antelope Valley Times

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$5K reward offered to help ID suspect in assault over mask order

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The man on the left allegedly punched a barista at a local Starbucks when employees asked him to put on a mask as he entered their business location. The man on the right accompanied the suspect to the location. [Images via LASD]
LANCASTER – The city of Lancaster on Friday announced a $5,000 reward to help identify a man accused of punching a local Starbucks employee who asked him to wear a mask.

“I am deeply saddened and angered by the assault.” Lancaster Mayor R Rex Parris said in a news release. “Our nation is in a crisis, now is a time for our community to come together. This behavior is despicable and we need your help to help identify these men so that justice may be served.”

According to a news release by the Lancaster Sheriff’s Station: “The man on the left allegedly punched a barista at a local coffee shop when employees asked him to put on a mask as he entered their business location… The man on the right accompanied the other party to the location.”

The alleged assault suspect is described as Black, about 6 feet 2 inches tall, and around 230 pounds. He is wanted for battery.

The man who accompanied the suspect to the location is described as Black, about 6 feet 6 inches tall, and around 245 pounds. “He is a witness to the incident and we would like to meet with him as well,” sheriff’s officials said in the news release.

Anyone with information on the identity or location of these individuals is encouraged to contact Detective Grajales at Lancaster Sheriff’s Station at 661-948-8466.

“This past April, the Lancaster City Council mandated the use of face coverings, one of the first cities in the state to do so. Lancaster recognizes the importance of face coverings and will continue to support the widespread use as businesses continue to reopen. Face covers will continue to be integral as the City’s local economy recovers. Citizens must hold each other accountable and protect one another,” Lancaster City officials said in the news release.

 

39 comments for "$5K reward offered to help ID suspect in assault over mask order"

  1. This mask wearing is a bunch of bull. After talking with several people in the medical field it is clear to me that wearing a surgical mask doesn’t protect you from anything especially when worn incorrectly. Drs. wear those masks to protect the patient in case the Dr. coughs or sneezes. It will keep his/her aerosol from contacting the patient. N95 masks worn by medical staff are fitted and sized specifically for each person and unless they fit perfectly they are not protecting you or anyone else except from the aerosol. Don’t get me wrong, I am playing the game when in public places but I will not wear one if I’m outside walking to or from my car. I’m sure I’ll catch a lot of grief from some, and maybe support from others but in reality I think it should be optional. I think more importantly, people need to just stop gathering, and practice good hygiene. Why are the numbers so high? $$$, it’s all about money! And, politics. Yes, people are getting sick, and some dying, but the numbers our government officials are giving us are blown WAY out of proportion. This is my opinion and I know, opinions are like…..yeah, and everybody’s got one!

    • Have you been test recently?
      DO you know if you have contracted Covid-19?
      Might you be a carrier without symptoms?

      Yeah, this is why the masks are being required. Not to protect your from getting it. To protect others from possibly getting it.

      Quit whining, just wear a pair of panties on you mouth and nose and have fun with it! (Look it up, someone made a mask from thong undies)

      • I know what you mean, Laughing. I have one of those black cloth masks and when I pull it out of my pocket crumpled up I’m thinking “What’s this, a thong?” Then, I remember.

        The reason we have to be told to wear masks and maintain a social distance and have to shut down the economy is because, some people are ignorant and foolish and don’t act responsibly. See IcallBS’s comment. And Jason Zink’s.

        We might have been on the way to normal if we had a “normal” president and a “normal” Republican party. But, we don’t and so we have to keep revisiting the pandemic.

  2. Most of the the AV is filled with white trash that abuse the welfare system. They are lazy and claim to be Christians which most are not. They are too dumb to get jobs so they think welfare is the answer. Rex Parris is a racist mayor who the white trash adore.

  3. Wow! those guys look so ghetto. it is a shame that the AV has gotten so ghetto in recent years. hopefully people like that continue to leave the LA county. Ghetto people suck!

    • All I see in the picture are two black men. Are you implying blacks are ghetto? Please expand on you comment. Was it how they were dressed? What’s you definition of ghetto?

  4. Story says “The man on the left allegedly punched a barista at a local coffee shop when employees asked him to put on a mask as he entered their business location” but sheriffs bulletin says “They were asked to leave for not wearing a mask” which is it? Both? Were they asked to put on a mask and then asked to leave when they refused? Or were they just asked to leave in a not-very-nice way?

    And Starbucks- ya cant afford $7.88 for a 50 pack of masks on ebay to hand out a few when a customer enters the store without one because they left theirs at home?? (done that a few times) And I didn’t even search that hard. And free shipping! Ya cant throw in a mask that cost less then 16 cents for a few customers every now and then?

    Heck I would have just given them each a coffee filter, but that might be grounds for dismissal :)

    • Only too bad that by the time the customer gets handed the free mask by the barista he has already had plenty of opportunity to spread his breath and thereby his aerosols around, and should that customer be infected then he’ll spread the infection around.

      Some things in life aren’t so simple.

  5. @AV Resident just who are you addressing when. You say, “you people”? I know the things I touch heals, create, touch lives and more. I never include myself when a “negative you” spits out a “you people” type statement. However it’s tiresome and nerve wrecking. Learn to address the offensive person/s so you don’t sound like a “you stereotypical racist individual”
    Stay blessed. Spread positive energy more often, it feels good.

    • Im one of the “you people” you are talking about.I’ve never been on welfare nor has anyone in my family. I’ve had a full time job since my senior year in high school. I also think what this guy did was deplorable. He should be locked up. You can’t/shouldn’t paint an entire race of people with one brush. Also, there are more whites than blacks receiving welfare. It’s the red states that are being subsidized by the blue states. That’s also a form of welfare/socialism. Money from our state is being diverted to read states “that can’t manage themselves”. You may call yourself Truthvill3, but you are pretty sparse on facts, but heavy on the racism.

    • More white people are on welfare and apparently it’s O.K. with them. Would you call them white tr@sh?

      • Proportionally, bIack ppl are 13% of the population and they are using the welfare system at a rate of 44.6 %. So, yeah, they take more than they actually put in. It wouldn’t be so bad if their $hitty behavior didn’t add to everything.

        • @ Kimba Porportionally my behind. Bottom line, whatever the percentage, whites are taking the biggest bite out of welfare. I guess even with white privilege, times are tough out there.

        • Whites in the AV are at a higher rate of welfare recipients. They are lazy and fat. Most don’t even attempt to find employment. The majority of white trash live of their parents who don’t work either

      • I have come across many white people that exhibit lousy behavior so there are some people that want only to point a finger at black or brown people.

        • Black and brown people didn’t have us invade Iraq based on lies about WMDs.

          Black and brown people didn’t cause the crashes of 1987, 2008 and now.

          You see, it’s white people blaming black and brown people to distract from the big messes they’ve made.

      • Hey, Kimba

        Why are you so content witth those red welfafre states that take more from D.C. than they pay in taxes and blue states have to subsidize them and their 3rd world mentality.

        Mitch McConnell in Kentucky and Ms. Lindsay Graham in South Carolina.

        As a Californian that’s your money subsidizing those backward states that are headed for massive infections and deaths from the virus because their weak governors kiss Trump’s hindquarters as their duty.

        Are you really that clueless?

      • In California 28% white, 45% Hispanic (data crunching site)
        Nationally 14.9% black, 8.1% Hispanic, 4.4% white (from government website)

        Both sites were first in results when I search the simple phrases;
        “California welfare benefits by ethnicity” or
        “National welfare benefits by ethnicity”

      • Do any of you use the internet for reputable research using statistics sites that your taxes pay for?

        • Laughing….”But my interwebby connection machinery thing is not connecting the electron wave generator gadget properly.” Please do not be condescending to us.

  6. Jasper the Thug will be caught. Before anyone accuses me of using a possible derogatory name because I call him Jasper, just think of the people using the term Karen for a white woman. Karen is just as derogatory as calling a black woman an ABW.

  7. It’s a good thing our liberals have made the county safe from guns. Or these fine young fellows might have gotten themselves shot!

  8. Sadly hardly anyone wears masks where I live, be they white, black or hispanic. Ironically the asians here do wear masks(minus the indian folk)

  10. … if they’re ANTIFA or BLM, and they did what they did in a Democrat community, then it’s okay beating people up. If it’s a Republican community where they’ve assaulted someone, then they’re in violation of the law –

    • Yes BLM… but that doesn’t mean it’s okay to punch a barista in the face for asking a customer to follow city ordinances by wearing a face mask.

    • That’s not what BLM is about. With a name like Carlos, you should know better. Your comment is rather sad.

          • You people ruin everything you touch, then they ask why they are treated differently. Everyone else is wearing a mask, what makes you people different? If you don’t like the guidelines then don’t shop there.

          • Your comment doesn’t make sense. Are you implying all black people are thieves? There was no mention of a theft in the article, only an assult.

          • Don’t be a white person that refuses to wear a mask and films the stupidity of your actions in a store calling everyone else sheep. You will be escorted out of the store while you’re filming and screaming obscenities.

        • You’re right. It is a waste of time. These folks are stuck in their racist bubble. While Trump has his goons invading American cities to deny people their constitutional right to protest, here in AV all we get are racist tweets about BLM. The ignorance and stupidity is hard to handle sometimes.

          • Republicans are the spreaders of this virus and they don’t believe it. Irresponsible at best!!