The moment grocery shoppers in Massachusetts tackled a 65-year-old man to the floor after he allegedly coughed and spat on food deliberately has been captured on camera.

The man from Duxbury was apprehended by fellow shoppers before law enforcement arrived at the Stop & Shop in Kingston. He was subsequently taken to hospital as a precaution, but it is not believed that he has the novel coronavirus.

Witnesses described the man as "extremely aggressive", and after an employee spotted him coughing and spitting on the produce, he tried to punch them, Fox26 News reports.

In response, the employee hit the man in the face, and he was taken down by onlookers.

In the video above, the man can be seen being held to the ground by three others. One shouts "don't try to get up".

The Kingston Massachusetts Police Department said in a press release: "The Kingston Police responded to Stop & Shop located at 160 Summer Street shortly before noon on Saturday 4/4/2020 for a report of a disturbance.

"The investigation remains on-going. It is alleged that a 65 year old male from Duxbury was coughing and spitting and became confrontational with staff and witnesses. The incident escalated into a physical confrontation.

"At this time, we have no reason to believe the individual has COVID-19. Out of extreme caution, the individual was transported to the BID-Plymouth Hospital to be evaluated. The individual was informed he is no longer welcome at the Kingston Stop & Shop (trespassed).

"The party has been informed that the Kingston Police Department is pursuing an application for criminal complaint which may involve the following criminal charges: Assault & Battery w/ Dangerous Weapon (shod foot), Assault and Battery, Destruction of Property (produce).

The department added: "The Kingston Police Department is not privy to the individual's medical records. The Kingston Board of Health was contacted and responded to Stop and Shop to ensure public safety. If appropriate, the Kingston and Duxbury Boards of Health (where the individual resides) will take any necessary actions to ensure public safety with the information they become aware of."

The Patriot Ledger has reported that if the man attempts to visit the store again, he will be arrested for trespassing.

As per the Daily Mail, Kyle Mann, 18, who recorded the video said: "I was shopping in the produce [aisle], when all of a sudden I turned the corner.

"I saw a worker and the man yelling with other people watching.

"While that was happening, I heard them talking about him spitting and coughing on the produce, which is how I learned what happened seconds after I arrived and shot the video."

After the incident, the area was deep cleaned by staff and any items which could have been infected have been disposed of.

This, however, is not the first time that a person has deliberately tampered with produce during the pandemic. This woman was charged for coughing on $35,000 worth of groceries.

At the time of writing, there have been 1,360,039 cases of the novel coronavirus and it has claimed 75,973 lives globally, per the John Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center.

These are the CDC recommended steps that you should follow if you think you've contracted coronavirus.