- Two teenagers wearing face masks and signs saying "Caution I have coronavirus" sprayed disinfectant at a Walmart in Joliet, Illinois, as part of a prank, causing nearly $10,000 in damage to the store.
- Tyler Wallace, 19, and an unnamed 17-year-old are facing charges of disorderly conduct, retail theft, and criminal trespass to property.
- There are 12 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the US, including a couple in Chicago who became the first US case of person-to-person spread of the coronavirus.
- The teens aren't the only ones trying to pull a prank involving the coronavirus. A social media star claimed to have the disease while aboard a plane, causing it to redirect him and 243 other passengers.
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Two teens wearing face masks and signs saying "Caution I have coronavirus" sprayed disinfectant as part of a prank in an Illinois Walmart.
The two teenagers - 19-year-old Tyler Wallace, and an unnamed 17-year-old - are facing misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct, retail theft, and criminal trespass to property, the Chicago Tribune reported.
Wallace turned himself in to police and is charged with disorderly conduct, retail theft, and criminal trespass. The 17-year-old was arrested on counts of disorderly conduct and criminal trespass.
The pair also caused nearly $10,000 in damage to the Walmart store - $7,300 in loss of produce and the cleanup of their stunt amounted to $2,400, USA Today reported.
"It appears to have been a prank that went too far," Joliet Police Sgt. Chris Botzum told the Associated Press.
As of Saturday local time, the novel coronavirus, formally known as 2019-nCoV, has killed over 720 people and infected nearly 35,000.
The two Illinois teens aren't the only ones who tried to pull a prank relating to the coronavirus. Instagrammer James Potok claimed to have the coronavirus while aboard a plane, and the flight and its 243 other passengers were redirected due to the stunt.
There are 12 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the US, including a couple in Chicago who became the first US case of person-to-person spread of the coronavirus.
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- An Instagrammer tried to make a viral video by joking he might have coronavirus on a plane. Instead he forced an emergency landing and got arrested.
- Finance blog Zero Hedge was banned from Twitter for Wuhan coronavirus misinformation. It's not the first time the publication has raised eyebrows.
- People seem to think Corona beer is related to the deadly Wuhan coronavirus outbreak, as searches for 'Corona beer virus' are trending
