Woman pulls gun on clerk after she was asked to wear a face mask, Washington cops say

A Washington woman was arrested after video shows her pulling a gun on a convenience store clerk, local media reports.

Surveillance video of the Jan. 27 incident shows the 33-year-old woman, Angela Nommensen, entering a convenience store in Bellevue and asking the clerk for a receipt, KIRO reported. The clerk asked that she wear a mask in accordance with current mask mandates in King County, which require everyone over the age of 5 to wear masks in indoor public settings.

Charging documents say that Nommensen refused to put a mask on, despite the clerk’s repeated requests, KING5 reported. The clerk then escorted Nommensen out of the store.

But after he went back inside the store, the clerk told police that he turned to see Nommensen drawing a gun and pointing it at him through the store’s glass door, The Seattle Times reported.

Court documents said that Nommensen — saying that she feared for her life — then called 911, KIRO reported.

When officers arrived, Nommensen told them that the clerk “attacked her, pushed her and grabbed at her neck,” charging documents said, according to KING5. She also said she believed the employee was going to attack her, and that she wielded the gun to show the employee she was armed, KING5 reported.

Nommensen also told police that she couldn’t wear a mask because of an unnamed medical condition, The Seattle Times reported.

Charging documents said that police reviewed footage recorded by Nommensen on her phone and by the store’s security cameras, the Times reported.

Police said afterward that the clerk was allowed to escort Nommensen out and that she didn’t seem to be in danger during the interaction, Police Capt. Darryl McKinney told KIRO.

“The officers, obviously, in their investigation looked into that to make sure there was no assault that occurred or anything,” McKinney told KIRO. “They didn’t find that there was any inappropriate or unnecessary amount of force used by him. Which he is allowed to do. It’s private property.”

Nommensen was arrested and booked into the King County Jail, but was released on Jan. 28, jail records show. She was charged with felony harassment on Feb. 1, court records show.

Nommensen is scheduled to be arraigned on Feb. 14, The Seattle Times reported.

The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office and Bellevue Police Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment from McClatchy News.

This story was originally published February 3, 2022 at 9:03 AM with the headline "Woman pulls gun on clerk after she was asked to wear a face mask, Washington cops say."