A Highland Park woman faces battery and disorderly conduct charges after authorities say
she spit on a fellow Costco shopper after ramming a shopping cart into his cart and yelled, “I am a school teacher and I have COVID-19.”
After the June 16 confrontation, the woman fled the retail store, located in the 25900 block of Riverwoods Road, Mettawa, in her vehicle, according to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, which investigated the incident.
The woman was subsequently identified as Elizabeth H. Mach, 45, of the 500 block of Vine Avenue, Highland Park, according to a news release. Mach could not be reached for comment.
An investigation found that the confrontation began after a 50-year man was finished checking out and was in the process of exiting the store when he removed his face mask, according to the release.
The woman rammed her shopping cart into the man’s cart and then began yelling at him, telling him he needed to put his mask back on because he was not outside the building yet, according to the release.
The man ignored the woman but she continued yelling at him, saying “I am a schoolteacher and I have COVID-19,” according to the release. She then removed her face covering and spit in the man’s face.
Surveillance of the incident was captured but can’t be released at this time because it has been placed into evidence, said Sgt. Christopher Covelli, a spokesman for the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
Mach was arrested without incident Wednesday, the day after detectives obtained an arrest warrant for two counts of battery and one count of disorderly conduct. Bail was set at $40,000 and Mach was released Wednesday evening after posting 10%.
