The incident was reported Sunday night at the intersection of Bedford Avenue and Ross Street.
ABC News reports Paul Pinho allegedly called 911 to report a large crowd gathering, according to police. He and his wife allegedly got out of their car, accosted the men, shouting out slurs and attempted to take away their face coverings, according to the NYPD.
The chaos caused a fight and police say 35-year-old Pinho and 46-year-old Clelia Pinho were taken into custody.
NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio commented on the incident during a press briefing Monday and called it "absolutely unacceptable in every way."
"It is something that expresses hate, but also creates danger, and that is unacceptable and we are not going to allow it here in this city," de Blasio said. "The two perpetrators have been arrested by NYPD and we are treating this incident as a hate crime so there are serious consequences."
They each face a charge of aggravated harassment as a hate crime.
MORE CORONAVIRUS COVID-19 COVERAGE
COVID-19 Help, Information and Resources
UPDATES
Grieving the lost: Tri-State residents who have died
New York state
New Jersey
Connecticut
Long Island
RELATED INFORMATION
Share your coronavirus story with Eyewitness News
Stimulus check scams and other coronavirus hoaxes
Coronavirus prevention: how clean are your hands?
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on coronavirus
Total count of NYC COVID-19 cases based on patient address