A business owner in the 100 Mile House area suffered minor injuries after an altercation last week with a patron refusing to wear a mask.
Police say they were called just after 6 p.m. on Dec. 29 after an unmasked man was denied service at the Lone Butte General Store on Highway 24.
“The male had been provided a mask by the store to wear inside, which he refused to wear,” RCMP Staff Sgt. Svend Nielsen said in a news release.
“The male was then told to leave the store. Once outside the store, the male grabbed a piece of lumber, which the store manager believed would be used to damage the property, so the store manager grabbed it back from the male.”
Nielsen said the would-be customer then punched the store owner in the face and kicked through the store’s glass door before fleeing the scene.
According to Nielsen, the man returned — wearing a mask — and apologized.
He was ticketed $460 for breaching the COVID-19 Related Measures Act, Nielsen said, but will not be charged criminally.
