MARTINSVILLE, Ind. — There have been stories of Asian-Americans being discriminated against recently because of fears over the coronavirus. The virus did originate in China.

David, who chose only to go by his first name, said he was discriminated against at a Marathon in Martinsville. He said the worker behind the counter started yelling at him when he saw him in the store, asking him if he was Chinese and told him to leave.

“I’ve never experienced anything like this,” said David to WISH-TV. “He continued to ask where I’m from and yelling at me. And then I told him that I am from Korean descent but was born in Louisville, Kentucky and haven’t traveled out of the country in many many years. And he just went off.”

David said he continued to try and reason with the man.

“He was very angry and told me to get out. I wasn’t allowed to buy anything. I’m not allowed to use the bathroom there. ‘Never come back. Don’t ever come back’ in a very violent and hateful way,” he said.

A sign on the front of the Marathon gas station where this all happened says people should not enter if they have a fever or are ill. Martinsville police said they are aware of the situation and said this isn’t the first time they’ve heard about something like this.

“Exactly what I was told was that anyone of Chinese descent was not allowed in the store, and it was directly related to the spread of coronavirus,” said Martinsville Police Chief Kurt Sprivey.

Spriney said the owners of the Marathon and other businesses have been advised that that kind of discrimination is inappropriate. Since there are no hate crime laws in Indiana there is not much the county prosecutor can do. But they say this kind of behavior is unacceptable.

This isn’t the first case of discrimination revolving around the coronavirus to be reported in Indiana.

Back in February, even before the virus had reached Indiana, a clerk at a Super 8 Motel was caught on camera in Plymouth refusing a room to two Asian men because of fears of the coronavirus.

The clerk was citing a new company policy not to give rooms to people who are Asian in order to keep the virus from spreading. The hotel chain denied having such a policy.