Police are searching for a man who walked up to customers at a local Walmart in Massachusetts and giving shoppers ‘COVID hugs.’
The Springfield Police said Friday that they are seeking help in identifying the man who hugged a customer at a Walmart store in Springfield, Massachusetts, and told them they now had coronavirus.
The incident occurred on August 15 at about 7.10pm.
The suspect laughed and walked away. Investigators said he did this to other customers as well.
Police said that the victim was a cancer survivor and had never seen the suspect before.
A surveillance video image of the man the police claim was responsible for the ‘COVID hug’ has been released.
In the image, the man is seen wearing a face mask, but it’s unclear if he was wearing a mask at the time he hugged the victims.
A police spokesperson said that when the suspect is found, he’ll face charges of assault and battery and making terroristic threats.
Police said that claiming to have coronavirus even if you haven’t tested positive for it is considered a threat and would be on par with making a false bomb threat.
