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Video shows man's anti-mask tirade in Arizona grocery store before he is carried out

Sprouts Farmers Market requires customers over the age of 2 to wear face coverings to protect against the spread of the coronavirus.
Inside A Sprouts Farmers Market Grocery Store
Bloomberg via Getty Images
/ Source: NBC News

A man launched into a profanity-laced tirade against masks in an Arizona grocery store before he was carried out of the store by another customer.

A 49-second video posted Monday on Facebook, which has been viewed more than 65,000 times, shows a man wearing a white hat and blue shirt yelling profanities in a Sprouts Farmers Market store in Tucson with three other younger men around him. None of them are wearing masks.

In the video, the older man, whose identity has not been disclosed, can be heard yelling, "These people won't learn."

"You're a bunch of idiots wearing masks," he says. "You know it's not real."

This video contains obscene language that may offend viewers.

The man then walks closer to a Sprouts employee who is wearing a mask and uses a series of expletives.

"Look at you fools," he says. He compares a mask to a doily and calls someone a "r-----."

Someone off camera appears to curse at the four men. Another man in the video who appears to be a customer steps between the man and the employee.

The man tells the customer, "Come outside and show me how tough you are" and threatens to beat the mask off his face. At least two of the younger men address the man by "Dad" and start to push him toward the door.

The man who is yelling is then lifted by one of the men with him, carried out of the store and is seen knocking over a stack of boxes on his way out.

It is unclear what happened prior to the video being recorded.

A Sprouts spokesperson said that the company was unable to elaborate on the incident that occurred Saturday due to a pending investigation.

"Following company guidelines, Sprouts management did not physically engage with the individuals, but instead notified local police of the disruption before the individuals exited the store," the spokesperson said in a statement.

Local police did not respond to requests for further information from NBC News Wednesday.

Sprouts requires customers over the age of 2 to wear face coverings to protect against the spread of the coronavirus.

"Sprouts offers a number of accommodations for those who may be unable or unwilling to wear a mask or face shield, including personal shopping options for those who are medically exempt, as well as online ordering for curbside pickup and delivery," the statement said.

This story originally appeared on NBC News.