Texas man allegedly stabbed restaurant manager after being asked to wear a mask

Texas police have issued an arrest warrant for a man who allegedly stabbed a restaurant manager after the man was asked to wear a face mask. 

League City Police said that the incident occurred Wednesday evening at a Jack in the Box restaurant in the city located about 30 miles south of downtown Houston, according to local ABC affiliate KTRK-TV. 

Security footage captured the man, who police later identified as 53-year-old James Schulz, walking through the restaurant without a mask, prompting the manager to ask Schulz to put on a facial covering or use the drive thru instead. 

League City Police Chief Gary Ratliff told reporters that Schulz “belligerently refused and said they did not want to serve him because he was homeless.” 

After the man started to walk out, the manager turned around, after which Schulz allegedly tackled and stabbed the manager multiple times, Ratliff said. 

Several co-workers then ran over to help the manager as Schulz fled the scene on a bicycle. 

Police said that the manager, who was not identified by name, was taken to the hospital with three stab wounds but is expected to make a full recovery. 

While Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) lifted the statewide mask mandate last week, several private businesses throughout the Lone Star State have continued to uphold their own mask requirements. 

Ratliff told reporters this week that individuals should continue to respect the health and safety policies of individual businesses. 

“There’s no reason to let it get to that point,” he said of Wednesday’s attack. “You can refuse to do business at those locations or whatever it is you choose to do, but there is no reason to result to aggressive behavior like this.” 

The incident came the same day a Texas woman was arrested for refusing to wear a face mask inside an Office Depot, days after police detained her for a separate incident in which she refused to put on a facial covering inside a Bank of America. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has repeatedly stated that evidence has shown wearing face masks helps reduce the transmission of COVID-19.