A Florida man was arrested for pointing a gun at a fellow shopper who asked him to wear a mask because of the COVID-19 pandemic at a Walmart store in Palm Beach, Florida, officials said Thursday.
The man, Vincent Scavetta was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and improper exhibition of a firearm, all felonies, the Palm Beach sheriff’s office said, CBS News reports.
“Welcome to PBC Jail, son. Let this be a lesson. It could have ended badly,” the office wrote on social media Thursday.
According to an arrest report, Scavetta, 28, admitted to sheriff’s investigators he was the shopper in surveillance video who pulled a gun during a July 12 argument with Chris Estrada, who had told him to wear a mask because of the coronavirus pandemic. Palm Beach County requires masks be worn in stores.
The argument began when Estrada’s young daughter almost walked into Scavetta and his father. The men agreed in their statements that Estrada told Scavetta he should wear a mask and Scavetta cursed at him. Estrada told Scavetta not to curse in front of his daughter.
Video shows the men were about 10 feet apart and yelling obscenities at each other, when Scavetta raised his middle finger at Estrada, who advanced at Scavetta pointing his umbrella, investigators said. Another shopper interceded and Scavetta started to walk away. Estrada said something more to Scavetta, who pulled a gun from his waistband and pointed it at Estrada, whose daughter grabbed him by the hand and tried to pull him away.
Scavetta, who has a concealed weapons permit, told investigators he pulled his .40-caliber handgun because he feared for his life. He said he holstered his gun and he and his father left the store.
According to the report, Scavetta told detectives he felt bad that he had scared Estrada’s daughter by pulling the gun on her father.
Estrada told detectives he didn’t want to pursue charges, but he wanted Scavetta to lose his concealed weapons permit. Detectives told Scavetta’s attorney that no charges would likely be filed if Scavetta gave up his permit, but Scavetta declined. Prosecutors then decided to pursue charges.
