SPRINGFIELD, MASS. (WHDH) - Police are on the lookout for a man who they say was claiming to give “COVID hugs” to customers at a Springfield Walmart, officials said.
Officers were told that a suspect approached a customer in a Walmart on Boston Road around 7:10 p.m. last Saturday, took an item out of his hand, and claimed to have COVID-19 after giving him a hug, according to Springfield police.
The suspect allegedly told the customer, “Just giving you a COVID hug. You now have COVID,” officials said. The man who was hugged is a cancer survivor and had never seen the man before, according to police.
The suspect laughed after the hug and walked away, the victim said. Police say the man has reportedly done this to other customers.
Anyone with information on the suspect and his whereabouts is asked to call the Springfield Police Detective Bureau at 413-787-6355, contact the department on Facebook, or text SOLVE to 274637.
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