Leander Man Sought After Attack On HEB Cashier Over Meat Limits

LEANDER, TX — Police have identified a suspect wanted in connection to a Sunday assault on an HEB cashier over purchase limits on meat products, officilals said.

The incident occured at around 7:30 a.m. at a Leander HEB store. Security camera video shows the suspect becoming upset after being informed about meat purchase limitations related to the new coronavirus, throwing a packaged steak and bag of lettuce at a cashier after learning of the limit.

According to the Leander Police Department on Facebook, the man is then seen driving away in a white Ford Fusion car. The man ultimately was identified after police posted about the incident on Sunday. The man's identity had not been released as of early Monday.

According to information found on the HEB website, stores in Central Texas are among those limiting the purchase of meats amid new coronavirus. "To help protect the supply chain in Texas, we’ve implemented temporary purchase limits on certain items," company officials wrote. "Limiting product purchases is a proven way to ensure the best service and product availability for all customers. Our stores are in strong supply and we continue to restock products daily."

The limits include:

• Fresh beef, ground beef, chicken, pork, turkey – limit 5 packages, combined total (not five of each).
• Frozen Chicken limit 2.
• Frozen Raw Beef Burgers limit 2.

Meat has become something of a prized commodity across the state amid outbreaks of new coronavirus at plants that have slowed production. According to the Texas Tribune, state health officials last month began investigating an outbreak of the respiratory illness at the JBS Beef packing plant in the Texas Panhandle. Earlier, Department of State Health Services launched an investigation in Shelby County after a cluster of 14 coronavirus cases and two related deaths were identified centered around a Tyson Foods plant, the news site reported.