An anti-mask protester appeared to assault a doctor outside a school board meeting in Lee County, Florida on Monday night.
Then, as a reporter from NBC Channel 2 tried to interview the doctor about the alleged assault, a fistfight broke out.
The incident occurred outside district headquarters after Lee County imposed a 30-day mask mandate in schools, according to NBC Channel 2 reporter Dave Elias.
"What I'm seeing here is just unbelievable," Elias said during a live broadcast. "I can tell you that I just saw two doctors try to walk into this building, and they were shoved off of the sidewalk back into the street."
Elias then asked the doctor about the alleged assault.
"I was just trying to make my way to the door, so I could come in and fill (out) a comment card, and a woman stood in front of me and bumped me out of the way," the doctor said, adding that she was not surprised by the violence because, "I've been watching it on social media for weeks and months and months."
At that point, a fight broke out a few feet away.
"As you can see, fists are now flying, all of this on live television," Elias said. "Fists are flying! Unbelievable what we are seeing here today unfold live."
"Now we can see the sheriff's deputies are coming out here to get between the two groups," Elias added. "A lot of confusion, a lot of anger, and a lot of deputies now are finally pouring in to see exactly what happened. Again, I was live, and I saw somebody push one of the people that was supporting the mask mandate, and again, now we have deputies here trying to get this under control. So, to answer your question, yes, tempers are flying here today. ... The only word I can use to describe this, in my 32 years of broadcast coverage, is I am shocked at what is taking place here."
"Hopefully, cooler heads will prevail," Channel 2 anchor Sheldon Dutes responded. "Have your say — just do not hit people."
Watch Elias' live report as well as video of the doctor getting shoved below.
Lee Schools mandates masks, eliminates opt-out formwww.youtube.com
New video shows tense encounter between doctors & protestors outside Lee Schools HQwww.youtube.com
