A manager was stabbed for simply enforcing COVID-19 restrictions.
Police are still searching for the suspect who stabbed a Jack in the Box manager in League City, Texas on Wednesday, per CBS News.
“It’s a very polarizing situation,” said League City Police Chief Gary Ratliff at a news briefing on Thursday. “Where some folks don’t believe that there should be masks and others do.”
The man has been identified as 53-year-old James Schulz and is described as “bearded, white male” and a “transient.”
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Officers did not apprehend the man but possibly found his backpack, bicycle, and cell phone as he fled the crime scene. The suspect became belligerent with the restaurant staff before he attacked the manager. Reports say he refused to wear a mask.
Schulz took out his camera phone to take a video for his lawyer because he assumed he was being discriminated against and denied service because he was homeless. But reports say the man attacked the manager and stabbed him three times in the upper torso and arm with a pocketknife.
He fled after employees stepped in to defend the manager.
“A lot of these people have had some of these events, I don’t know this manager, but have had personal events with loved ones that have died and passed away as a result of COVID, as some of our officers have,” said Ratliff. “All I would ask is that people respect the opinions and the policies of these businesses.”
He added, “You can refuse to do business at those locations, or whatever it is you choose to do, but there’s no reason to resort to aggressive behavior like this.”
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The manager was taken to the hospital for treatment and has been released.
A warrant is out for Schulz’s arrest.
A few weeks ago in Texas, customers at another eatery refused to adhere to COVID-19 restrictions. As reported by theGrio, employees at a Mexican restaurant in Texas are speaking out about the hateful messages they’ve been receiving from customers for enforcing a mask mandate.
After Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued an executive order, rolling back statewide mask mandates, the Houston-based Picos eatery announced it would continue to require that customers wear masks in its facility. Several patrons responded by threatening to report the staff to ICE and calling for their green cards to be checked.
Monica Richards, co-owner of Picos, told the Washington Post customers have sent her and her staff threatening messages over social media and on phone calls.
“It was just horrific,” Richards said. “People don’t understand unless you’re in our business what it felt like, how hard it was to go through everything we went through during COVID. For people to be negative toward us for trying to remain safe, so that this doesn’t continue to happen, just makes zero sense to us.”
theGRIO previously reported that Texas is the largest state to end an order intended to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The virus has killed more than 42,000 Texans.
Abbott imposed the statewide mask mandate in July during a deadly summer surge and faced sharp criticism from many Republicans. Enforcement was spotty at best, and some sheriffs refused to police the restrictions at all. As the pandemic dragged on, Abbott ruled out a return to tough COVID-19 rules, arguing that lockdowns do not work.
Texas will also do away with limits on the number of diners that businesses can serve indoors, said Abbott, who made the announcement last week at a restaurant in Lubbock. He said the new rules would take effect March 10.
“Removing statewide mandates does not end personal responsibility,” said Abbott, speaking from a crowded dining room where many of those surrounding him were not wearing masks. “It’s just that now state mandates are no longer needed,” he said.
Additional reporting by Ny Magee
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