Man directed coughs towards Stratford LCBO employee, police say

Police in Stratford, Ont., are searching for a man who allegedly coughed in the direction of an LCBO employee last month.

A man went into the store on March 24 around noon.

"While he was making his purchase, he appeared to be annoyed about the safety measures being taken surrounding COVID-19 at the store," police said in a release this week. "After completing his purchase, the man leaned over the counter and coughed twice, directing both coughs towards the employee."

Police say the man then left the store and told people waiting in line to get into the LCBO "it was not worth the wait to just cough on the cashier."

Officers are investigating the altercation as an assault because of how COVID-19 is spread, the service said in the release. 

Police say the man appears to be between the ages of 65 and 75, with short grey hair and is balding on top. At the time, he was wearing glasses, a brown Tuff Duck style work jacket, blue jeans and white sneakers.

Anyone with information can call Stratford police at 519-271-4141 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

The incident is among a string of similar cases where people have spit on cashiers.

A cashier at a Guelph Zehrs was spit on by a person on April 1. Police have charged a St. Thomas, Ont., man.

Waterloo regional police also reported a man tried to spit on a Tim Hortons employee after they wouldn't serve him through the drive-thru when he was on foot.