Walmart shopper charged with pulling gun during mask dispute
Terry Spencer, Associated Press
Updated 2:47 pm CDT, Thursday, July 23, 2020
This booking photo provided by the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, Fla., Vincent Scavetta
on Wednesday, July 22, 2020. Scavetta is facing felony chargers for pointing a gun at another
Walmart shopper who told him to wear a mask. (Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office via AP)
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) A Florida man is facing felony charges for pointing a gun at another Walmart shopper who had told him to wear a mask, officials said Thursday.
Vincent Scavetta, 28, was charged with aggravated assault with a firearm and improper exhibition of a firearm after surrendering Wednesday to Palm Beach County sheriff's deputies. At a Thursday hearing, bail was set at $15,000.
According to an arrest report, Scavetta 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.
Scavetta, a software developer, told investigators he had been wearing a mask, but it got wet in the rain as he pushed his father in a wheelchair through the parking lot into the Royal Palm Beach store. That made it difficult to breath and fogged his glasses, so he took it off, he told investigators.
More:
https://www.chron.com/news/article/Walmart-shopper-charged-with-pulling-gun-during-15428927.php
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Florida man charged with pulling gun during mask dispute at Walmart
Vincent Scavetta, 28, faces 2 gun charges
. . .
Video shows the men were about 10 feet (3 meters) 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 said Estrada had threatened him and his father and hit him in the forehead with his umbrella's tip. 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.
He told detectives he felt bad that he had scared Estrada's daughter by pulling the gun on her father.
Estrada told detectives he did not want to pursue charges, but he wanted Scavetta to lose his concealed weapons permit. Detectives told Scavettas attorney that no charges would likely be filed if Scavetta gave up his permit, but Scavetta declined. Prosecutors then decided to pursue charges.
More:
https://www.clickorlando.com/news/florida/2020/07/23/florida-man-charged-with-pulling-gun-during-mask-dispute-at-walmart/
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You can't beat the headline.
JDC
(10,144 posts)delisen
(6,046 posts)Karadeniz
(22,600 posts)mitch96
(13,938 posts)So in this case "I can't breath" is ok?
m
JPK
(656 posts)yonder
(9,685 posts)"Feared for his life" so he and his wheelchair bound dad visit a store, unmasked, potentially infecting themselves and/or others?
onetexan
(13,078 posts)Midnight Writer
(21,830 posts)captain queeg
(10,281 posts)So he lifted his shirt to show her his gun in waistband holster. As far as Im concerned that is assault. You going to shoot someone who tells you you cant shop in a store without a mask. Its an implied threat to show someone a gun like that.