By Ewan Palmer
News Reporter
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A man has been arrested after allegedly stomping on a man's face for not socially distancing by a pool at a medical clinic in Florida.
Rayford Smith, 53, of Glen Allen, Virginia, has been charged with battery following an incident at the Willough in Naples on Friday, January 29.
Smith was sitting on a bench by the pool when he was approached by another man. The Collier County Sheriff's Office said Smith became irate when the man did not adhere to COVID-19 guidelines.
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"Rayford told him to get away from him and that he was too close to him," the arrest report seen by WINK states.
The man left but returned a few minutes later, angering Smith further. The 53-year-old is alleged to have then pushed the victim to the ground and struck him, including stomping on his face.
The alleged attack is reported to have smashed the dentures in the victim's mouth.
Abela Jean, a worker at the community, told deputies she heard the victim fall to the ground and ran over. When she got to the pool area, she said she saw Smith with his foot on the victim's face and looking like he was about to stomp down on it again.
Jean said she was able to intervene and stop the attack from continuing.
The victim told deputies that he was unable to defend himself because Smith attacked him so quickly, reported Naples Daily News. He was taken to hospital for treatment to his injuries.
Management at the Willough said they have surveillance video of the attack, which appears to have been unprovoked.
Online records show Smith remains in custody at the Collier County Jail.
The Collier County Sheriff's Office has been contacted for further comment.
...
In August, a man was arrested in Florida on suspicion of punching a 75-year-old after the victim asked the suspect's girlfriend to socially distance while in line at a Publix store.
Peter Capozzi, 59, was charged with battery on a person 65 years or older after allegedly attacking the man in the Publix parking lot on August 23, 2020.
According to the Daytona Beach Shores Police Department, the elderly victim said that while in line at checkout, he asked a woman to abide by social distancing guidelines and stand six feet away from him.
The man said there was no confirmation with the woman in the store, but Capozzi is alleged to have punched him in the chest when he went out to the parking lot, causing him to fall onto the asphalt.
Police later confirmed Capozzi was arrested at his home in Ponce Inlet after the department released surveillance footage from inside the store while asking for the public's help identifying him.
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