'Sad reminder of intolerance': California man wears KKK hood while grocery shopping
SANTEE, Calif. - It was a shocking and offensive sight at a San Diego area grocery store when a man showed up wearing what appeared to be a Ku Klux Klan hood.
According to San Diego authorities, the incident occurred at a Vons in Santee on Saturday.
On Friday, San Diego County’s face-covering requirement went into effect. The mandate requires residents to cover their nose and mouth when coming into six feet of others in public.
Similar face-covering mandates have been implemented in Los Angeles, Riverside, and San Diego counties.
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Officials said the man did not comply when employees repeatedly asked him to remove the hood.
However, witnesses said once he got to the check-out area, he removed his hood, paid for his groceries, and left.
The San Diego Sheriff’s Department released the following statement:
"The San Diego County Sheriff's Department has been made aware of an incident involving a man wearing a white Ku Klux Klan hood at a grocery store in Santee on Saturday, May 2nd. Deputies were not called to the scene at the time the incident took place. Detectives from the Sheriff's Department are looking into the matter and will pursue any appropriate criminal charges. The Sheriff's Department does not condone hate or any acts of intolerance in our communities. We are a county that is welcoming of people from all backgrounds."
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Santee Mayor John Minto condemned the incident. "Many thanks to all who stepped forward to curtail this sad reminder of intolerance," he said. "Santee, its leaders, and I will not tolerate such behavior. Santee and its citizens are great, and this particular individual's actions are not representative of us as a people and a wonderful city."
The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department is investigating.
Anyone with information on this incident can contact Sergeant Claudia Delgado at 619- 956-4050.
This story was reported from Los Angeles.