With around 800 deaths from coronavirus in the United States, it’s hard to imagine how some people are foolish enough to do things that could severely increase that number in order to get attention on social media.
Take the case of this man who filmed himself licking several items at a Walmart store.
Police authorities from Warrenton, Missouri, have apprehended the man and he was charged for making a “terrorist threat” – low-level felony, Warrenton police have confirmed.
Cody Pfister, 26, filmed himself licking several items in a Walmart outlet on March 11.
He posted the video on Snapchat taunting watchers by asking “Who’s afraid of the coronavirus.”
The video not only spread within the United States but worldwide as well.
Warrenton police told Reclaim The Net they had received reports about the crime as far as the UK and Netherlands.
Responding to those who had informed them about the viral video, Warrenton police immediately took Pfister into custody and prosecutors charged him with a low-level felony case.
Police said that he had had prior convictions for burglary, being caught with burglary tools, theft of a firearm, and driving while under the influence and was already known to the police department.
Pfister has been booked into the Warren County jail without bail.
This is not the first time that a similar video related to coronavirus went viral.
A man in Belgium was arrested after wiping his saliva on a subway pole, and a YouTuber prankster has gone viral after licking a subway pole in the US.
As the world continues to battle the coronavirus with various suggested methods such as physical distancing, frequent washing of hands, and avoid touching the face, actions such as licking items are taken extra seriously by police.