Coronavirus: Shopper arrested after becoming ‘irate’ in social distancing row

Argument started when Stephan Fanelli cut in line

A man has been arrested after getting into a fight with a cashier over social distancing measures.

Stephan Fanelli was arrested at a Dollar Tree discount store in Florida, according to the Miami Herald.

Officers were called to the store after Mr Fanelli allegedly attacked an employee when she told him to move back, after he cut in line.

The cashier told him to stand back and respect social distancing rules, but Mr Fanelli became “irate” at the suggestion, the outlet report.

When the cashier started taking Mr Fanelli’s items off of the counter, he reportedly pushed her in the chest and hit her.

The police were called and they were able to view the incident via the store’s surveillance cameras.

The outlet report that an independent witness said that Mr Fanelli hit the cashier multiple times during the incident.

Mr Fanelli was arrested on a battery charge and the 55-year-old​ was set a $2,500 bond.

President Donald Trump recently announced that social distancing measures will be extended to at least 30 April.

Dr Anthony Fauci, the chief infectious disease expert leading the US response, praised the decision and told reporters that “the idea that we may have these many cases played a role in our decision in trying to make sure that we don’t do something prematurely and pull back when we should be pushing”.

According to a tracking project hosted by Johns Hopkins University, upwards of 402,923 people have tested positive for coronavirus in the US. The death toll has reached at least 13,007.