Texas Republican gubernatorial candidate Allen West is facing potential assault charges after he allegedly pulled down a man’s mask during an altercation at DFW airport, The Dallas Morning News reports.
The man, Lawrence Eric Stern, has said that he wishes to press charges as he claims his face covering was “violently” torn off, according to the report.
Stern told the news outlet that a detective at the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport had informed him that his case had been placed before the Grapevine Municipal Court.
The incident occurred on Nov. 3, according to a DFW police affidavit. The Morning News reported that Stern was in the airport when he spotted West walking through the facility maskless. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has made masking mandatory for anyone in airports across the United States through at least January 18, 2022.
According to the report, Stern reportedly told West to put a mask on and called West an “idiot.” West then told Stern to repeat what he said, Stern did, repeating the request for West to put a mask on in the airport.
“Mr. Stern stated Mr. West then hit Mr. Stern on the right side of the face as he grabbed the mask off Mr. Stern’s face,” an officer wrote in the police report according to Dallas Morning News, “Mr. Stern stated he shoved Mr. West back to get him away from him.”
In a statement and Twitter thread hours after the incident, West claimed that “nothing happened” despite pulling down Stern’s mask. But Stern told The News that West “violently ripped the mask” off, breaking the straps off the face covering.
West, a former Florida congressman, has said that Stern lifted his arms in a fighting stance following the incident, however, Stern denies these claims and told Dallas Morning News that West called him a “stupid, white man” before walking away.
Stern told police that he only recognized West after he called him an “idiot,” though he has no regrets over the interaction, reports Dallas Morning News.
“I called him out, basically, because he was breaking the law already,” Stern told Dallas Morning News.
West told authorities he would cooperate with the investigation, according to the report.
He put up his fists and I walked away. I did call him a stupid man. I have spoken to DFW PD.
There’s no mask law, nothing has ever passed in the US House and Senate making wearing a mask law.
— Allen West (@AllenWest) November 3, 2021
Read more on The Dallas Morning News.