...By Gift BADEWO for TDPel Media.
Police Investigate Transphobic Accusations and Alleged Assault at Starbucks
A Starbucks employee has been accused of assaulting a customer who was filming a dispute at a branch in Southampton.
The incident took place in late April and began when the worker, who has not been named, accused the customer of making transphobic comments.
Footage of the incident shows the employee refusing to serve the customer and then clapping in their face, before allegedly knocking the customer’s phone from their hand when they started filming.
The employee is then seen attempting to take the phone before the clip ends.
Police Investigation
The incident was reported to Hampshire Police, who confirmed that an investigation was ongoing.
The police report states that the staff member became verbally abusive towards the customer before assaulting the person who was filming the incident.
No injuries were reported.
Reaction on Social Media
The footage has sparked a debate on social media, with many people condemning the employee’s behaviour.
Some users criticised the use of the term ‘Karen’, which they described as misogynistic, while others expressed sympathy for the customer in the clip.
Starbucks was tagged in many of the tweets, and the company responded by confirming that the employee no longer worked for the company and apologising to the customer.
