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The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) states that COVID-19 is primarily transmitted through close contact, typically within 6 feet for an extended period of time.
At this point, the risks of getting too close to others during the coronavirus pandemic are well known. Most of us, during our rare outings each week, follow the guidelines and practice 'social distancing'.
However, not everyone is on board with the 6-foot separation rule. In fact, some people dislike it so intensely that even a simple attempt to enforce it can provoke an outburst of anger.
Here are 10 shocking examples of social distancing gone awry.
10. Outrageous Couple Attacks Hassidic Jews
During the COVID-19 crisis, some nations have introduced highly innovative and tech-savvy methods to enforce social distancing rules. In Singapore, for instance, they deployed a robot dog called Spot, developed by Boston Dynamics, to monitor park areas. With a polite yet firm female voice, Spot tells citizens, 'Let’s keep Singapore healthy. For your own safety and that of those around you, please maintain a one-meter distance. Thank you.'
What can you do if you don’t have a robot dog to remind people to practice social distancing in your area? Well, definitely don’t do what a couple from Brooklyn, New York did back in early May.
Taking matters into their own hands as self-appointed Social Distancing Officers, Paul and Clelia Pinho (also known as Kevin and Karen) quickly lost all sense of reason.
One Sunday night while driving through Brooklyn, Paul and Clelia spotted a large group of Hassidic Jews gathered outside. Without hesitation, they stopped their vehicle, jumped out, and charged toward the group. They shouted Anti-Semitic slurs, accusing them, 'You’re the reason why we’re getting sick.'
Paul called the authorities, but unable to wait for the police to handle the situation, he attempted to rip the masks off of three Hassidic men. This led to a confrontation. The couple was eventually restrained by a volunteer group known as the Shomrim patrol, who held them until the police arrived.
The couple was taken to a hospital, where Paul received treatment for an arm injury. His wife was treated for minor wounds.
Mayor Bill De Blasio expressed his disgust at the incident, declaring, 'We don’t accept bias in New York City. We don’t accept hate in any form.'
9. The Kissing Bandit Calls the Cops on a Bar
While some citizens’ attempts to enforce social distancing can be somewhat logical, that certainly wasn’t the case with a Florida woman named Audra Adams.
The Monkey Bar and Grille in Indialantic became the setting for a bizarre and counterproductive incident of social distancing gone wrong.
Disturbed by the bar's lack of adherence to coronavirus social distancing rules, Adams called the police not once, not twice, but five separate times. The strange twist was that Adams herself kept attempting to kiss random patrons.
The bar owner informed the police that Adams' repeated efforts to kiss every person she could reach were, unsurprisingly, not well received. After receiving several complaints, he asked her to leave.
Adams eventually left the bar but refused to vacate the parking lot, declaring, 'I’ll sit in the parking lot all night.'
The police arrested her for disorderly conduct, resisting an officer without violence, and misusing the 911 system.
8. Supermarket Showdown
Supermarket shopping during the COVID-19 pandemic has undergone numerous changes, including increased cleaning and sanitation protocols, reduced store hours, the closure of bulk counters, soup bars, olive bars, and self-serve hot tables, floor markings to encourage 6-feet distance, and the first hour of each day being set aside for senior citizens.
Clearly, a simple, low-stress weekly grocery run to stock up on essentials has transformed into a far more complicated and stressful task due to the pandemic.
One unfortunate individual learned firsthand just how much things have shifted. After finishing his shopping and heading home, he stopped to set his bags down on the ground. Three men approached him, and he politely asked them to observe social distancing. Instead, they exploded in anger.
One of the three men, an 18-year-old from Milton, lost control. A fight broke out, and the 18-year-old assailant quickly fled the scene.
Fortunately, he was located and taken into custody about a month later.
7. Agitated Man Draws a Gun
Who would have imagined that something as simple as standing in line could be so stressful these days?
Waiting in line is simply a part of life. At some point, everyone has to do it, and even on the best of days, it’s far from fun. But still, we wait.
With the COVID-19 pandemic, waiting in line has taken on a new dimension—social distancing. For one man, that extra rule was one step too far.
While standing in line outside Citizens Bank in Boston during early May, Ricardio Pantojas, 40, was apparently standing too close to another customer. The other person asked Ricardio to move back and follow social distancing rules. Ricardio, however, had other plans.
"When asked to move away, the male suspect refused to follow social distancing rules and the line restrictions, pulled out a gun, and pointed it at the victims," police reported. "Before officers arrived, the male suspect and his female accomplice jumped into a car and sped off."
The authorities eventually tracked down the couple. After searching their car, they found a Bersa .380 semi-automatic weapon.
Ricardio was charged with several offenses, including carrying a loaded firearm on a public road.
6. Jogging Isn’t What It Used To Be
COVID-19 has transformed many aspects of our lives. One of the most noticeable changes is the increased time we spend at home, far more than we're used to. As a result, spending extended periods indoors can stir up feelings of cabin fever. A brief trip outdoors, therefore, can offer much-needed relief.
For one jogger in Cambridge, Massachusetts, his moment of relief quickly turned into an unsettling experience.
The jogger explained that as he neared a man walking with his two young children, he informed the group that he planned to jog onto the street to maintain the necessary distance. However, during this exchange, the man suddenly pulled out a knife and ordered him to, "get the ‘expletive’ on the other side of the street."
The police later found a man who matched the jogger’s description. The man denied pulling a knife, and a search yielded no weapon. But, a short distance away, officers discovered a 4-inch blade hidden in a yard bag.
Despite this, the jogger ultimately chose not to press charges.
5. Doctor Diagnosed With Short Temper
Among the many groups of people who have risen to heroic status during the COVID-19 pandemic, medical workers are probably the most deserving of such recognition. Despite facing the risk of contracting the virus from the very patients they care for, their essential work has sparked a wave of public appreciation and a multitude of news stories highlighting their courage.
However, one doctor who certainly won’t be receiving any accolades anytime soon is Dr. John Rademaker, 57, from Prospect, Kentucky. And his unfortunate behavior was all captured on video.
The video begins with a tense verbal exchange between two groups—an older man and woman, and a group of younger women. One of the young women can be heard saying, “Yeah, we’re leaving…please, let’s not cuss at each other.” A few moments later, she adds, “No, I’m not calling you anything, sir, just don’t talk to us with -”
Before she can finish, Dr. Rademaker interrupts, pointing at a girl off-screen and exclaiming, “This ‘bleep’ girl right here.” He then approaches the group of young women as the camera follows. Just as one of the women says, “Do not touch -,” he proceeds to shove a few of them.
From that point on, chaos erupts as Dr. Rademaker approaches another young woman lying on the ground. In a sudden move, he drops to the ground and, according to reports, 'grabbed her neck.'
In a state of panic, the young women began to scream and shout. What started as a disagreement over social distancing escalated into a violent assault in a matter of seconds.
In the aftermath, Dr. Rademaker faced charges of first-degree strangulation and three counts of harassment with physical contact. The organization he worked for, The Southern Indiana Anesthesia Consultants, placed him on leave before he voluntarily resigned from his position.
According to three witnesses, the nine young women had gathered at the location to enjoy the sunset.
4. Grocery Store Assault
Waiting in line at your local grocery store during the COVID-19 pandemic has become an adjustment for everyone and a constant reminder to trust fellow shoppers. Cooperation is key, as the spread of COVID-19 can easily happen without it.
At a grocery store in Sydney, Australia, a woman in her late 50s was standing in line at checkout when a man behind her got too close for comfort. She politely asked him to step back, but the man, captured on video surveillance, didn’t appreciate the request. While she was busy paying for her items, he struck her in the back of the head with a bottle and then quickly fled the store.
The woman was treated for her injury and taken to the hospital as a precautionary measure.
Shortly after, police spotted the man in a nearby park. When they attempted to approach him, he brandished a meat cleaver. In response, the police tasered him and took him into custody.
3. Park Ranger Pushed Into Lake
The Austin Parks Foundation in Austin, Texas took COVID-19 precautions seriously by implementing guidelines for park-goers. While urging citizens to stay at home, the APF recommended that those who ventured out for fresh air avoid touching playscapes, swings, tables and benches, fitness equipment, athletic gear, or water fountains.
They probably should have added park rangers to the list of things to avoid.
In a video of the incident, a park ranger is seen standing by the edge of a lake, calmly explaining the social distancing rules to a group of young people. Out of nowhere, one man suddenly pushes the ranger into the water. The man who did the pushing also fell in, but quickly got out and ran off.
The video ends with the park ranger climbing out of the water and heading towards the man who had pushed him in.
Later, police arrested 25-year-old Brandon Hicks for attempting to assault a public service worker and damaging city property.
Kimberly McNeeley, the director of Austin's parks and recreation department, addressed the incident by stating, 'Our rangers continue to inform residents on the correct use of park facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. We ask the public to show rangers the same respect they would expect for themselves. Public support is crucial for Austin in overcoming the challenges of this pandemic.'
2. Man Films and Cheers on Partygoers Ignoring Stay-At-Home Order
On March 22, 2020, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine issued a 'stay-at-home order.' Section 3 of the order clearly states, 'Any gathering of ten or more people is prohibited unless exempted by this Order.'
Less than a month later, a group of young people decided to throw a party. 25-year-old Rashaan Davis was present to not only film the event but also upload the footage to YouTube.
During the video, Davis is heard saying, 'This is how we do it in my city, man. We don’t care about this coronavirus.' Partygoers were seen standing on cars and dancing to the music.
According to police records, Davis is accused of breaching the stay-at-home order and even encouraging others to do the same.
1. Mask Request Results in a Fatal Altercation
Wearing a mask is one way to enhance social distancing. The Mayo Clinic recommends cloth masks, stating that, '…cloth masks can help reduce the spread of the coronavirus by people who have COVID-19 but don’t realize it.'
Unfortunately, some people refuse to wear masks when in public, and a few take such a strong stance that it escalates into violence.
This was the case at a Family Dollar store in Flint, Michigan earlier this year. Calvin Munerlyn, a 43-year-old security guard, was simply doing his job when he asked a customer to wear a mask to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Instead of complying, the woman left the store. Her mother, Sharmel Teague, and Munerlyn then got into a heated argument. Munerlyn asked her to leave as well, and she did.
At the time, under an executive order from Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, both retail workers and customers were required to wear masks.
Twenty minutes later, two men entered the store—one of whom was Sharmel’s husband. He began shouting at Munerlyn for allegedly disrespecting his wife. Then, another man pulled out a gun and shot Munerlyn, killing him instantly.
Ramonyea Travon Bishop, 23, Larry Edward Teague, 44, and Sharmel Teague, 45, were charged with first-degree premeditated murder.
Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton summarized the tragic incident, stating, 'From all indications, Mr. Munerlyn was simply doing his job in upholding the Governor’s Executive Order related to the COVID-19 pandemic for the safety of store employees and customers.'
Munerlyn’s heartbroken cousin, Tina James, remarked, 'This is senseless. Over a mask. Over a mask? This is not the way to do things right now. We need to come together.'
In the face of a heartbreaking tragedy, the community united to honor Munerlyn's memory by holding a heartfelt candlelight vigil.
