A dad told him to wear a mask in Walmart. He responded by pulling a pistol, police say
South Florida was the site of yet another mask confrontation, this time at a Walmart and involving two fathers, a gun and several obscenities.
Vincent Scavetta, 28, was arrested Wednesday on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and improper exhibition of a firearm after deputies say he pulled a gun on another man who advised him to wear a mask. Court records show Scavetta is being held in Palm Beach County’s Main Detention Center on $15,000 bond.
An investigation over the course of 10 days led to Scavetta’s arrest. When Palm Beach County sheriff’s deputies initially responded on July 12 to the Royal Palm Beach Walmart, they met with 46-year-old Christopher Estrada and his daughter.
Estrada said he told a man, later identified as Scavetta, to wear a mask, which set off an argument. Scavetta, who was pushing his father in a wheelchair at the time, began hurling obscenities at the other father and daughter.
The shouting match soon reached a boiling point when Estrada pointed his umbrella at Scavetta, a licensed concealed weapon holder, who then grabbed a pistol from his waist, deputies say.
“’I’ll kill you,’” Scavetta said, according to Estrada’s retelling of the situation.
Unafraid, Estrada replied with “f--- that little gun” at some point during the exchange, according to the report.
A snippet of their back-and-forth has since hit the internet, garnering more than 10,000 views on Twitter.
Scavetta later told deputies that he and his father had to get through the rain to enter Walmart. That left his mask soaked, which is why he took it off. He also admitted to overreacting, but did so out of fear that Estrada would hit him, deputies say.
A witness, who surveillance video shows attempted to defuse the encounter, disputed both sides’ claims. In his version of events, he heard neither man threaten the other with physical violence. He did note that Scavetta “appeared as though he had lost all control,” according to the report.
Scavetta’s arrest comes just days after Walmart’s policy requiring both shoppers and employees to wear facial coverings went into effect.
This story was originally published July 23, 2020 at 1:58 PM with the headline "A dad told him to wear a mask in Walmart. He responded by pulling a pistol, police say."
