Man who went viral after outburst in Costco over masks loses job

'Threatening behaviour and intimidation go against our core mission to be trusted advisors in our community'

A man who was caught on camera screaming at fellow customers in Costco after he was asked to wear a mask has lost his job.

In the clip, the man, later identified as Daniel Maples, screams at the person recording the video to “back up” because he feels “threatened”.

“Back the f*** up and put your f***ing phone down!” Maples can be heard yelling in a Costco in Fort Myers, Florida.

The incident, which occurred on 27 June but went viral on Twitter this week, reportedly began after a female customer asked Maples to comply with the store’s mask policy amid the coronavirus pandemic.

“Florida man at Fort Myers Costco in "Running the World Since 1776" shirt flips out on elderly woman who asked him to wear a mask and man who defended her,” filmmaker Billy Corben captioned the clip on Twitter, where it has since been viewed more than 11m times. (The video below includes explicit language)

After the clip went viral, Maples was identified by both people online and by his former employers, Ted Todd Insurance, which announced on Tuesday that the Florida native had been terminated.

“Thank you to everyone for their comments and messages raising awareness about a former employee at Ted Todd Insurance,” the company’s CEO Charley Todd wrote in a statement shared to Twitter. “Their behaviour in the video is in direct conflict with our company values and their employment has been terminated.

“Threatening behaviour 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.”

In a separate post shared to his own Twitter account, Todd reiterated that Maples had been fired. “Wear a mask. Be love,” the insurance CEO concluded.

A biography for Maples, which previously identified him as the company’s “highest-producing sales agent” and listed his interests as including hot yoga, travelling, cooking and “mentoring” others, was also removed from the company’s website Tuesday, according to USAToday.

As of Wednesday, Maples’ LinkedIn profile has also been taken down.

Costco announced it would require all employees and customers to wear masks in its stores in May.

“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,” Craig Jelinek, Costco’s president and CEO, said in a statement at the time.

The Independent has contacted Costco for comment.