Alberta man possibly exposed to COVID-19 charged after coughing in officer’s face: police

Police in Lethbridge have charged a 27-year-old man after they allege he coughed in an officer’s face in an attempt to expose him to COVID-19.

According to the Lethbridge Police Service, officers were called to a northside home at around 10:30 p.m. on Thursday for reports of a domestic assault.

In a news release on Friday, police said one man from the home was taken into custody, at which time he coughed “directly into” the officer’s face and “told him he hoped he’d get infected.”

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“The male admitted he had been exposed to a person who had been quarantined,” the release stated.

The 27-year-old is charged with assaulting a police officer and remains in custody.

Police said as the charges stem from a domestic incident, they won’t be releasing the name of the accused to protect the identity of the person he was accused of assaulting.