Santee Man Wears KKK Hood While Grocery Shopping in San Diego

The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department is now investigating an incident over the weekend where a man wore a Ku Klux Klan hood while grocery shopping in the city of Santee.

The episode occurred a day after city health officials ordered residents to wear face coverings to help curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.

“The Sheriff’s Department does not condone hate or any acts of intolerance in our communities,” read the statement from the Sheriff’s Department. “We are a county that is welcoming of people from all backgrounds.”

Tiam Tellez posted pictures on his Facebook page which depicts the unidentified white man in the KKK hood standing behind a grocery cart.

A spokesperson for Von’s, Melissa Hill, said the man ignored requests from employees and customers asking him to either remove the hood or leave the premises, according to The Washington Post. She said he eventually took the hood off when he got to the checkout area.

“Unfortunately, an alarming and isolated incident occurred at our Vons store in Santee, where a customer chose an inflammatory method of wearing a face covering,” Hill said in a statement. “This was a disturbing incident for our associates and customers, and we are reviewing with our team how to best handle such inappropriate situations in the future.”

Santee’s mayor, John Minto, called the man’s hood “a sad reminder of intolerance.”

“Santee, its leaders, and I will not tolerate such behavior,” he wrote in a statement. “Santee and its citizens are great, and this particular individual’s actions are not representative of us as a people and a wonderful city.”

The city, according to The Los Angeles Times, has a history of racially motivated attacks and Ku Klux Klan activity, with it often being referred to by locals as “Klantee” and “Santucky.”

County Supervisor Dianne Jacobs also condemned the hooded shopper’s actions.

“The images I’ve seen are abhorrent,” she said in a statement. “This blatant racism has no place in Santee or any part of San Diego County. It is not who we are. It is not what we stand for and can’t be tolerated.”

On Monday, the San Diego chapter of the NAACP tweeted, “From biased enforcement in beaches and parks to KKK hoods in the grocery store, COVID-19 hasn’t changed racism and discrimination in our society.”