The San Diego County Sheriff's Department said that deputies "are looking into the matter and will pursue any appropriate criminal charges."

Police are looking into an incident where a man wore a KKK hood for a mask while shopping at a grocery store in California.

In a report from the Los Angeles Times, a man entered a Vons supermarket in Santee, California, on Saturday (May 2) wearing a KKK hood, and ignored requests from several store employees to take it off as he shopped. Photos of the man in the hood have since surfaced on social media.

"So troublesome in so many ways this is still happening in Santee at Vons. Disgusting!" Tiam Tellez, a customer who was present during the incident, wrote on a Facebook post that included images of the man in the mask.

The man was forced to remove his hood while in the checkout line or leave by a supervisor. He ended up removing the mask before purchasing his items and leaving.

Santee Mayor John Minto condemned the incident in a statement, saying: "Many thanks to all who stepped forward to curtail this sad reminder of intolerance. Santee, its leaders, and I will not tolerate such behavior. Santee and its citizens are great, and this particular individual’s actions are not representative of us as a people and a wonderful city."

In a separate report from The Washington Post, the San Diego County Sheriff's Department issued a statement Monday saying that deputies "are looking into the matter and will pursue any appropriate criminal charges."

The inncident took place a day after San Diego County issued a mandate requiring residents to wear face coverings in public amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Source: Los Angeles Times