Maskless Trader Joe's Shopper Speaks Out After Viral Outburst
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) -- The Trader Joe's shopper who was caught on camera in an anti-mask tirade that has been seen millions of times online spoke to KCAL9/CBS2 on Sunday.
It was opening day at the Trader Joe's store in North Hollywood when the shopper who has since gone viral tried to go grocery shopping without a face covering.
"I have a breathing problem from my nose," the woman said.
The shopper told KCAL9/CBS2 that an employee offered to shop for her but that she wanted to shop for herself instead.
The woman also said the store manager, who she referred to as J.J., allowed her to shop without the mask that night but that a customer started yelling at her to wear a mask, saying she felt threatened.
"Nobody was helping me, so at that point is what they show in the video," she said.
That's when the angry outburst began when she referred to people as "Democratic pigs."
"At that moment, I felt they were acting like pigs," she said. "Do I regret it? No. I mean, not really at that moment, I don't."
While Trader Joe's store policy does not require masks but instead encourages them, Gov. Gavin Newsom recently issued a statewide face-covering mandate to help prevent the spread of coronavirus.
After the outburst, the woman was asked to leave the Trader Joe's but didn't at first, saying she "didn't do anything wrong."
Police were called to the store but no charges were filed and the woman went home, vowing not to revisit that Trader Joe's location.
