KINGSTON — A 65-year-old Duxbury man coughed and spat on produce at the Kingston Stop & Shop on Saturday afternoon, according to police.

Kingston police responded to the store shortly before noon after a physical confrontation unfolded in which bystanders held the man to the ground until police arrived.

Police are pursuing an application for criminal complaint that may involve the following criminal charges: assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, his foot; assault and battery; and destruction of property.



The investigation is ongoing, but police said they have no reason to believe the man has the coronavirus. Out of precaution, he was taken to Beth Israel Deaconess-Plymouth Hospital for evaluation.

The man, whose name is not being released at this time, was told he will be charged with trespassing if he returns to the Kingston store, according to a police statement.

The Kingston Board of Health was contacted and responded to Stop & Shop to ensure public safety.

If appropriate, the Kingston and Duxbury boards of health will take further action.

Kyle Mann, an 18-year-old eyewitness from Pembroke, posted a video he shot of the incident on Facebook, which garnered hundreds of comments within an hour.

"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," he said in a message to the Patriot Ledger. Mann then saw him try to hit the employee, and soon after the man got "tackled by a group of bystanders."

Mann described the physical exchange as the man throwing a punch and then the employee responding by punching the man in the face. He cannot recall if the man made contact with the worker in his attempt to strike him, but described him as "extremely aggressive."

Mann said the man was held there until Kingston police arrived, which he estimated at a few minutes.

"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," Mann said.

The video shows three men holding another man down to the floor as he struggles to break free near checkout. At one point in the video, a man can be heard saying "Don't try and get up."

A Stop & Shop robot also appears in the video frame and stays near the scuffle.

According to a statement from a Stop & Shop spokesperson, the store has discarded all potentially affected product and conducted a deep cleaning and sanitizing of all impacted areas.

The board of health has also inspected the store and deemed it safe for shoppers. The company is working with law enforcement, according to a spokesperson.

If you have information you think could assist in this investigation, contact the board of health at 781-585-0503 or Kingston Police Sgt. Detective Michael Skowyra at 781-585-0523 Ext. 6662.