Police seek tips on man in alleged assault of Detroit gas station clerk over face mask

Detroit — Police are asking the public for help to find a man wanted for assaulting a store clerk after being told to put on a face covering to fight the spread of COVID-19.

Officials said the incident happened at about 11 a.m. on July 15 at a gas station on the 2000 block of East Jefferson on Detroit's east side.

The suspect entered the store without a mask and the clerk told him one was required under the governor's executive order to be served, according to authorities.

The man became irate and made threats to the clerk, police said. The suspect then pushed in the security screen window on the counter that separates the clerk from customers. Officials said the clerk was struck in the body by the screen window.

The suspect then left the store and headed south on East Jefferson on foot.

Anyone with information about the alleged assault should call the Detroit Police Department’s 7th Precinct at (313) 596-5740 or Crime Stoppers of Michigan at 1-800-SPEAK-UP.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on July 10, issued an executive order that requires masks to be worn in crowded outdoor spaces. It also requires any business open to the public to refuse service to people who won't wear face coverings with limited exceptions.

On July 14, Eaton County sheriff's deputies shot and killed a Grand Ledge man after a confrontation over a face mask at a Lansing-area party store.

More: MDOT employee killed by police after mask dispute at Lansing-area store

And a day before that, Grand Traverse County sheriff's deputies said they were looking for a man accused of brandishing a knife at a store employee after she asked him to wear a face-covering while in the store to help fight the spread of COVID-19.

More: Deputies seek man accused of pulling knife when asked to wear mask at Acme Twp. Meijer

cramirez@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @CharlesERamirez