SANTEE, Calif. (KFMB) — An investigation was underway Monday into whether the appearance of a customer wearing a Ku Klux Klan-style hood at an eastern San Diego County supermarket amounted to a criminal act.
A disturbing post, showing the man wearing a KKK hood while grocery shopping at Vons, has been circulating on social media. The photos were taken at the store on Mission Gorge Road in Santee Saturday afternoon.
The photos have drawn outrage from local leaders and civil-rights organizations that condemned the display of a key symbol of a racist hate group.
In a prepared statement (seen below), the San Diego County Sheriff's Department announced that it was investigating the episode, even though deputies were not called in while it was happening.
"I think he's a fool, I think he's inciting problems in the store, he's looking for a fight," said shopper Colleen Williamson.
The San Diego Anti-Defamation League says hate cases are on the rise.
"What history shows us, when there's a crisis people look for a scapegoat," said Regional Director Tammy Gilles.
Employees at the store repeatedly asked the unidentified man to remove the pointed white hood, and he finally did so while he was standing in a cashier's line, according to Melissa Hill, a representative for Vons and Albertsons stores in Southern California.
