Spit, racial slurs fly at worker who points out customer wasn't properly wearing COVID-10 mask
A man who police said spit at and hurled racial insults at an employee in a Southington, CT, liquor store in April because the person asked him to adjust his face mask has been arrested on a bias charge. Daniel Henderson, 57, of Mt. Vernon Road in Southington, was arrested on a warrant Wednesday charging him with second-degree intimidation based on bigotry or bias, a Class D felony, and second-degree breach of peace, a Class B misdemeanor. He was released on a promise to appear in Superior Court in New Britain Nov. 10.
According to police, the confrontation happened in Lefty’s Package Store, 1207 South Main St., in the Plantsville section of Southington April 9. Henderson wasn’t properly wearing his mask when he came into the store, and got upset when the employee asked him to adjust it. Based on employee and witness accounts, police said, “Henderson then spit towards the victim, used racial slurs towards him, and threatened to damage the property before exiting.” Police said the worker was listed as a “non-Hispanic Indian.”
Henderson said in a telephone interview Friday that he cursed at the man but did not use a racial slur. He swore because the employee said, “‘If I have to wear a mask, you do,’” and kicked him out of the store, throwing his credit card at him, Henderson said. He also said the man followed him out of the store and pushed him as he was getting back into his car, causing him to fall to the ground. Henderson said he didn’t spit at him in the store, although he couldn’t say for sure that no one spit toward the employee outside.
Henderson was located by Meriden police Wednesday and arrested on Southington’s warrant, police said.
https://www.courant.com/coronavirus/hc-news-coronavirus-southington-racial-bias-arrest-20211029-kv6ymg2npfezppsf4ycnrwluxi-story.html
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