Man charged for allegedly spitting in cop's face during COVID-19 pandemic

VANCOUVER -- A man who allegedly spat in a B.C. RCMP officer's face in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic has been charged with aggravated assault.

Authorities said they confronted the suspect on Saturday afternoon after finding him inside a vacant home that's under renovation in Kelowna.

While officers were placing the man under arrest, he allegedly spat at one of them – an incident that Cpl. Jocelyn Noseworthy called particularly shocking as people across the province do their best to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus.

"Being spit on is always a horrifying situation, but right now it's more than that," she told CTV News. "We've been told COVID-19 can be passed on by bodily fluids, spit being one of them. At this point it causes great concern for our officer and their family."

Police said the suspect has not exhibited any symptoms of the novel coronavirus, but that they will be monitoring his and the officer's health going forward.

Prosecutors have since approved charges of break-and-enter and aggravated assault on a police officer against 39-year-old Kelowna resident Jesse Hyde. The RCMP said the suspect remains in custody.