Bowling alley customers attack manager who asked them to wear masks, Maryland cops say

A group of patrons at a Maryland bowling alley are accused of assaulting a manager after they refused his request to wear face masks, according to police.

The incident occurred Saturday at Bowl America in Glen Burnie, about 11 miles south of Baltimore, the Capital Gazette reported.

About eight customers began arguing with the manager who asked them to wear face masks, WBAL reported. The manager asked them to leave, which they did when he called the police.

The manager escorted them outside, and one person in the group punched him, according to police.

“After he fell to the ground, several of the other individuals in the group ... began to punch him and kick him,” said Marc Limansky of the Anne Arundel County Police Department, WJZ reported. “Another employee came to his aid, and that employee was assaulted as well.”

Police say the manager was taken to a hospital with minor injuries, the Capital Gazette reported.

The suspects left the scene, and the case remains under investigation, according to WJZ.

“It’s troubling,” Limansky said, according to WBAL. “They were refusing to wear their masks for safety.”

Under Maryland’s coronavirus rules, everyone over the age of 5 five must wear face coverings in public spaces.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urge Americans to wear masks to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

“Cloth face coverings are one of the most powerful weapons we have to slow and stop the spread of the virus – particularly when used universally within a community setting,” CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield has said.