A Coquitlam woman was arrested after allegedly coughing on a grocery store clerk for not letting her buy more tissues.
The incident happened at a shopping centre on Parkway Boulevard, Monday. RCMP arrived after the employee said a customer had purposely coughed on them.
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This was after the employee apparently wouldn’t let the woman buy more tissues than the store’s maximum.
“Whether you deliberately cough on police, hospital workers, or grocery clerks, abuse or assaults against essential workers will not be tolerated,” said Coquitlam RCMP Cpl. Michael McLaughlin in a news release.
After speaking to witnesses and watching surveillance, RCMP arrested the 25-year-old woman at her house.
The woman has no prior history with the police. She must appear in court this July.
Another Coquitlam resident is facing similar charges. According to the news release, a 24-year-old man intentionally coughed on a police officer, while being arrested for an alleged break-and-enter.
Since the pandemic, police have also had to deal with a surge in commercial break-ins, with more than 40 recent arrests.
Police remind the public that “tissues and toilet paper are not worth an arrest.”
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