See Video of Social Distancing Fight at Colorado Springs Walmart

The biggest surprise in weekend reports about a July 30 arrest at a Colorado Springs Walmart that appeared to have been prompted by a disagreement over social distancing was the lack of video, given that everything seems to be recorded these days.

Now, however, footage of the incident has surfaced, and audio on the clip certainly appears to support initial claims about the motivation behind the dust-up. At the end of footage, a voice can be heard saying, "She wasn't six feet away...."

As a community, Colorado Springs has been slow to adopt many of the safety measures recommended by public-health officials and nationally. Some of the earliest COVID-19 cases were traced to a bridge club in El Paso County, and while infection rates dipped there in June, subsequent spikes placed the area in the coronavirus red zone in late July, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

Data collected by the New York Times shows the case rate dipping again, mirroring broader trends that Governor Jared Polis attributed to more Coloradans following directives such as the statewide mask mandate.

The Walmart kerfuffle took place at the chain's 3201 East Platte Avenue store in the Springs. Here's what it looked like, as seen in cell phone video captured by Brianna Carroll.


Afterward, the Colorado Springs Police Department reported that sixty-year-old Laura Barr was arrested on suspicion of third-degree assault. Note that neither Barr nor the other woman involved are wearing masks.

Walmart, which made masks mandatory for shoppers and customers alike as of July 20, isn't commenting about what took place. But there's no question that Colorado stores under its banner have done a better job of enforcing COVID-19 safety protocols since an outbreak at an Aurora location was linked to three deaths.

Still, Walmart customers should remember to stay six feet away from the next person in the checkout line — for everyone's good.