Florida Man at Costco Charges and Yells "I Feel Threatened!" When Asked to Wear a Mask

A man at a Costco in Fort Myers, Florida has been caught on camera losing his temper when someone asked him if he would put on a mask. The video has gone viral on Twitter, racking up nearly 40,000 retweets and more than 50,000 likes in less than 24 hours. 

According to Billy Corben, who tweeted out the video, it was an elderly woman who asked this man to wear the mask. It's unclear who is filming, but it's that person the man ultimately charges at.

In the video, the man says, "You're harassing me and my family." The person behind the camera denies this, then the man raises his voice and steps toward the camera, yelling, "I feel threatened!" As he pushes in, he yells, "BACK UP! THREATEN ME AGAIN! BACK THE F--K UP. PUT YOUR F--KING PHONE DOWN."

Off to the side, a member of his family can be heard saying his name — Dan — in an effort to calm him down. In a follow-up tweet, Billy writes, "This occurred at the Gulf Coast Town Center location on 6/27 and one of the customers targeted said: 'To give Costco the credit, they escorted him out and made me wait inside and monitored him until he left and then they sent someone with me to the car to make sure I [was] OK."

The man was quickly identified as Dan Maples, and he was swiftly fired from his job at an insurance agency. All because he didn't want to wear a mask at Costco.

In a Twitter statement, Charley Todd, CEO of Ted Todd Insurance, Dan's former employer, wrote, "Thank you to everyone for their comments and messages raising awareness about a former employee at Ted Todd Insurance. Their behavior in the video is in direct conflict with our company values and their employment has been terminated.

"Threatening behavior and intimidation go against our core mission to be trusted advisors in our community. We are also committed to immediately reviewing our internal existing culture at TTI. We ask that further feedback be sent to HR@tedtoddinsurance.com."

Dan Maples isn't the first person to freak out about Costco's mask policy for customers. The policy has been in effect since May, according to Newsweek. You'd think by now, people would get it.

Costco's president and CEO, Craig Jelinek, said in a message to the store's members, "To protect out members and employees, effective May 4, all Costco members and guests must wear a face covering that covers their mouth and nose at all times while at Costco. 

"We know some members may find this inconvenient or objectionable, but under the circumstances we believe the added safety is worth any inconvenience. This is not simply a matter of personal choice; a face covering protects not just the wearer, but others too."

At this point, if you are refusing to wear a mask, you're broadcasting to the world that you don't care about other people. It's not something to be proud of. 

Not to mention, Florida is currently experiencing an extreme surge in cases. The least you can do is cover your nose and mouth when you are in public and around other people.