Video Of Man Dumping Drink Over Teen Wearing MAGA Hat At Whataburger Goes Viral
STUDIO CITY (CBSLA) — Police in San Antonio, Texas said they are investigating an alleged assault at an area Whataburger after video emerged of a man pouring a drink on a teen wearing a "Make America Great Again" cap before taking the hat.
In the video posted to Facebook by Patricia Thompson Spittler Wednesday, a man at the restaurant who appears to be Latino is heard saying mid-sentence, "[intelligible] the president," before throwing the beverage at a person off-screen.
A person claiming to have been present during the altercation also posted the video.
WARNING: The following video contains graphic language.
"You ain't supporting s--t, n---a," the man says as he walks away. "B---h-ass m----------r."
The video then shows a dumbfounded person sitting across the table. "Okay then," someone off-camera says before the man continues his exit.
"This is gonna go great in my f------g fireplace, b---h," the man says as he holds up the most famous piece of Trump merch.
"Alright, have fun with it," the person at the table responds before the 20-second video ends.
San Antonio CBS affiliate KENS 5 reported the original video has since been deleted, but it has been ripped and shared all over social media.
The following caption accompanied the original post:
"His friend was wearing a patriotic hat, and this happened! It would be nice to know who he is for someone to let him know his actions are not okay! Real tough guy... approaches a group of teenagers minding their own business just having a burger! He kept his hat, too."
However, a man who asked to remain anonymous due to alleged death threats told KENS 5 Thursday that the incident was not unprovoked, as the original post indicated.
"He said he did not see the attack, but he did see an altercation inside of the Whataburger before deciding to leave with his family as things got heated," the station reported.
"He also claimed during the conversation another man in the restaurant asked the group of teens to stop making such comments. That's when he said he cut dinner short and had his family leave the restaurant before things escalated."
KENS 5 said that they had not independently verified the person's statement and had removed the alleged witness' quotes due to questions of legitimacy.
In response to the incident, Whataburger released the following statement:
"We were shocked to see this video and certainly don't condone this type of customer behavior in our restaurants. To be clear, no Whataburger employees were involved or witnessed the incident, and we ask that questions be directed to San Antonio PD as we continue supporting their efforts."
Thousands of people online have come to the teen's defense, including Donald Trump's 2020 campaign manager Brad Parscale, who tweeted Thursday he wanted to send the teen a signed MAGA hat.
"There are hundreds of thousands that will stand with you there. Don't let a few left bullies stop you from showing your #MAGA!," Parscale said.
Donald Trump, Jr. also tweeted he wanted to send the teen a MAGA hat.
Some figures on the left side of the political spectrum have condemned the action, but point to Donald Trump's own words and perceived racism as justification for these types of conflicts.
"I actually don't advocate throwing drinks on people. Not at all," said commentator Marc Lamont Hill on Twitter. "But yes, i think MAGA hats (deliberately) reflect a movement that conjures racism, homophobia, xenophobia, etc. So yes, it's a little harder to feel sympathy when someone gets Coca Cola thrown on him."
Similar sentiments were expressed when U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen was shouted down by immigration activists at a D.C. Mexican restaurant for her role in the Trump administration's policy of separating immigrant children from their families at the southern border. Earlier that week, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee-Sanders was asked to leave a Virginia restaurant because she works for Donald Trump.
L.A. Congresswoman Maxine Waters doubled down on the slight, telling supporters to let Trump administration officials know "they're not welcome anymore, anywhere." Those statements drew criticism from Waters' GOP colleagues, as well members of her own party for the so-called "loss of civility."
Democratic New York Congressman Chuck Schumer condemned Waters' words on the House floor, saying, "I strongly disagree with those who advocate harassing folks if they don't agree with you.[...] That's not right, and that's not American."
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi seemed to give a similar criticism, tweeting,"[W]e must conduct elections in a way that achieves unity from sea to shining sea," despite "Trump's daily lack of civility."
The president tweeted Waters had called for harm to his supporters, a claim Waters denies.
