An Illinois woman has been charged with battery and disorderly conduct after a fight in a Home Depot that began as a disagreement over wearing face masks.
Teri Hill, 54, was charged with battery and disorderly conduct Friday, the McHenry Police Department confirmed to The Hill. She was arrested after officers reviewed video footage of the incident and statements from witnesses.
Jessica Waters, the alleged victim, said the incident began when Hill approached a store employee at the Home Depot in McHenry, Ill., to complain about fellow shoppers not wearing masks, according to multiple reports.
After Waters said that Hill herself should be wearing a mask, things escalated, with Hill saying that nobody could tell her what to do and at one point telling Waters that she did not believe she had to wear a mask because of “white power,” the Chicago Tribune reported.
Waters began filming with her cell phone, which shows Hill making the comments and raising her middle finger. Waters later posted the video to Facebook.
Waters is heard in the video obtained by the affiliate ABC13 telling the woman that “the entitlement is disgusting.”
“Yes, I am entitled. I’m white and I’m a woman,” Hill replies.
“What does you being white have to do with you being able to get your way?” Waters responded.
“Because I’m a white woman. That’s what happens,” Hill added, saying that “I believe in white power.”
As Waters continued trying to film the incident, the Hill allegedly hit her, and the two women ended up fighting on the ground. Waters said she was left with bruises, ABC13 reported.
Since her arrest, Hill has been released and is set to appear in court on Aug. 19, the McHenry Police Department confirmed to The Hill.
“I don’t deal with racism. It’s so prevalent right now, and I feel like if you’re not stopping people and you’re not saying something, you’re part of the problem,” Waters told ABC13.