SEATTLE: Fight broke out at the Ace Hardware in Lake City over a customer not wearing a mask. Employees at the store confronted the customer with a bat and threw punches. [Watch]
What is it about bats and COVID?
I've had more than one (nonphysical) confrontation with Ace over the years:
I'll concede these points: I no longer see Ace corporate giving overt aid and comfort to the enemy and my local franchise took down its stupid "No Guns" sign. And not to make excuses but we also don't know what precipitated the decision to throw down and out, or to pick up a bat.
A good rule of thumb, if you want to minimize the risk of criminal and civil charges, is to ask rules violators to leave, to call in a trespass complaint if they don't, and to only resort to the physical defense of self and others if you can legally justify it.