An unidentified white woman was caught racially abusing four black soldiers terming them "s**tbags" at a Virginia based IHOP. The woman, dubbed as IHOP Karen, also threatened to engage in physical fight with an Air Force veteran who intervened in the incident.
The video of the incident, which was initially uploaded on TikTok by black soldier Joé Jeffers Jr., has gone viral on multiple social media platforms.
Woman Blocks Soldiers From Leaving
The first part of the video starts with the white woman turning up at the table of uniformed soldiers and saying, "Just so you know, I came back in to give her the rest of the cash from my wallet because you guys all tip like s**tbags."
At this point, Jeffers is heard telling the woman to walk away. "Ma'am, please walk away. Please," he said. Infuriated by the request, the woman goes on to sit right next to the soldier making it impossible for him to move out of the booth.
"No, no no, no. Ma'am, can you please leave?" Jeffers is heard telling her to which the woman replies, "Because?"
"We're leaving. Can you excuse (me)? I'm trying to get out," Jeffers says following which the woman is seen picking up his cap, kept on the table, and fiddling with it.
Another man, who was later identified as an Air Force veteran, is seen intervening by taking away the cap from the woman. After telling the woman that she "making a problem," the man is heard asking if there is a cop in the restaurant as "they need to get her out of here."
Seeing the woman refusing to budge from her position, Jeffers climbs over the booth to leave the outlet. At this point she accuses him of being part of movements. "Are you the thin blue line? I get confused. Are you BLM? Are you antifa?" she asks the soldier.
Fort Belvoir Launches Internal Enquiry
In another part of the video, the woman is also seen challenging the veteran to engage in a physical fight with her. Saying that she will "f**king drop," the woman yells, "You wanna go?" as she throws her glasses on the table.
Posting the video on TikTok, Jeffers wrote, "I'm a US ARMY soldier & i had my first encounter with a racist woman. #AllLivesMatter #SayNoToRacism #BLM."
Following the incident authorities at Fort Belvoir, where the soldiers are currently stationed, said that they are conducting an internal review. In a statement issued to The Hill, Joe Richard, public affairs director for Fort Belvoir said: "We are committed to fostering an environment of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in our force. A view of the video will show the Soldiers maintained their composure and military bearing throughout this shocking incident."
Stating that the officials don't have specific information on the woman in the video or her motivation, Richard said that the "Garrison has the incident under internal review."
