Amazon driver hits 73-year-old man in the face after being 'asked to wear a face mask' while delivering packages

An Amazon delivery driver allegedly assaulted a 73-year-old man that asked him to put on a face mask before entering a condo.

The alleged assault was caught on surveillance video. Ray Breslin, who asked the driver to stay out of the building until he had a mask, returns from their discussion wearing a mask.

The driver then shoves a phone in Mr Breslin's face and holds it there for a moment before slamming it into Mr Breslin's head.

The assault occurred on 4 Aug, but the driver has yet to be charged.

"I was mortified" Mr Breslin told local broadcaster WSVN. "I just couldn't believe it."

The Miami Beach resident said he saw the delivery driver enter the building without a mask. When the driver tried to go further into the building, Mr Breslin stopped him and said he couldn't go further without wearing a mask.

"I open the door, I said, 'Excuse me, you have to have a mask on.' He said 'I'm just delivering.' I said 'It doesn't matter. You wanna come in the building, you need to have a mask on,'" Mr Breslin said.

He said the man attempted to enter anyway.

"All of a sudden, he just puts his foot at the door like that. He's not gonna let me close the door," Mr Breslin said. "I pushed his foot out of the way and closed the door."

Mr Breslin said he took the packages from the driver and left them near the building's front door. He also took a photo of the driver's vehicle and his license plate.

The driver went back to his vehicle to get a mask and returned to finish the delivery. It was at that point that their confrontation escalated.

"Then he came back with a mask on, and I thought 'Ok, not so bad' and I open the door and I let them in," Mr Breslin said. "He brings his phone up like that and smashes me in the face."

Mr Breslin pointed out to the driver that the entire encounter had been caught on surveillance video, which prompted the man to flee the scene with the packages.

"I was like - what are you kidding me? I said 'there's a camera right there that just shot all this' and he looked up, put his head down, took his packages and walked right out the door," Mr Breslin said to NBC 2.

Mr Breslin said the driver claimed he hit him because Mr Breslin hit him first. However, the footage does not show Mr Breslin striking the driver at any point.

The 73-year-old condo president was not injured in the encounter, but he said he was shaken up by the incident.

Mr Breslin's lawyer, Michael Grieco, said the the incident was "felony battery," explaining that any time someone hit someone over the age of 65, it was considered a felony.

Mr Breslin filed a victim's report with the local police, but the driver has yet to be identified or charged.

"The fact that an Amazon driver, any delivery driver, would contemplate getting violent with somebody in a situation like that is beyond me," Mr Grieco said.

Amazon said it sent an apology letter to Mr Breslin. The driver worked for a company that contracted with Amazon to deliver its packages.

According to Amazon, the driver no longer works for the delivery company.

"This does not reflect the high standards we have for delivery service partners," Amazon said in a statement. "We are addressing the incident with the delivery service partner and can confirm that this individual is no longer delivering Amazon packages. We are in touch with the customer to make things right."

Miami-Dade county is currently under a county-wide mask mandate, requiring everyone to wear a mask while in public or face a potential $100 fine.

Mr Breslin said he was simply trying to follow the law.

"I was being firm. I wasn't being nasty. I wasn't going to let him in the building without a mask," Mr Breslin said. "Plain and simple."

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