A father from Arizona and two of his friends confronted a principal at an elementary school on Thursday.
They were furious that the principal asked children exposed to COVID-19 to put on a mask and to isolate.
Rishi Rambaran was one of the men who brought handcuffs in zip-tie to the scene.
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Arizona father arrested after he protested a mandatory mask requirement at his elementary school.
According to an Instagram video, Rishi Rambaran (40) stormed into Principal Diane Vargo’s office on Thursday wearing zip-tie handcuffs. Two of his friends, along with Rishi Rambaran, 40, claimed that the school had broken the law by telling him to wear a mask after he was exposed to COVID-19.
According to the Daily Beast, Rambaran was arrested and taken into custody. "I can tell ya the end result of that event was we did make one arrest on suspicion of trespassing," stated Sgt. Richard Gradillas, Tucson Police Department, did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
Kelly Walker, one the men backing Rambaran, posted a video to Instagram showing him driving to school.
He said, "I'm heading to Mesquite Elementary school right now, where I was notified by a friend that his son had been indiscriminately taken into the office to be quarantined. Apparently someone decided that he and not other children in this class were exposed to COVID."
He continued, "And they shoved mask on his face. They wouldn't let him call his family, and now his father is there." The school is clearly breaking the law and going against the wills of the people. This community has stated that they won't tolerate bullying our children or using scare tactics.
A post shared with Viva Coffee House (@vivacoffeehouse).
Rambaran's child, along with others, had been removed from their peers in the school office due to possible COVID-19 exposure. Mesquite Elementary was notified of a confirmed COVID-19 exposure and provided the name of Rambaran's child as well as other potential victims to the Pima County Health Department. According to the Daily Beast
After protesting the move at the school, the men entered Vargo's office to confront her and ask her to release them back into the classroom. The Beast reports that Rambaran called police to ask them to arrest her. Vargo asked them to leave her office and vacate the school building. Vargo then called the police and neither man agreed.
Rambaran was taken into police custody two hours later. Gradillas informed the Beast that more arrests could be made.
Mesquite Elementary was the school Rambaran and the other two men attacked. Insider did not receive a response immediately.
