Two people on the night of Christmas Eve were enjoying food at an In-N-Out Burger in San Ramon California, when racist language and threats were thrown on them.
Arine Kim and her friend were filming themselves trying out menu items at the fastfood outlet when a man approached them saying "You are filming yourself eating? You are weird homosexuals." They laughed back in shock.
But the man returned to their table again with a barrage of racist and homophobic questions.
"Are you Japanese or Korean? Are you Kim Jong un's boyfriend? You have gay sex with him?"
Kim's friend came with a classy reply and asked if he could take the man out to dinner. But Kim decided to step in to prevent the encounter from escalating for the worst. "Stop," she said. But the man threatened to spit in their face.
The Asian friends tried to ignore the man. However, he returned again and this time referred to himself as a slave master and threw a homophobic slur at Kim's friend again. He then threatened him. "See you outside in a minute."
A bystander quickly came in to check on Kim and her friend and tried to cheer them up saying: "This is not in the name of holiday cheer." Kim says the man also harassed other people of color. She said the man would step outside the restaurant to smoke cigarettes while gesturing and staring at them.
Being uncomfortable with the racist and homophobic encounter, Kim and her friend waited until In-N-Out Burger closed before leaving. They asked one of the employees to check outside to see if the man was waiting for them. Kim and her friend were grateful for the helpful employees who helped them walk to car safely.
She shared the video of the incident on social media and it caught the attention of Denton Carlson, the San Ramon Police Chief, who asked them to reach out. They have been in touch with the police to investigate the incident. Kim said the incident was scary but she and her friend are grateful that they didn't get "hurt".
Meanwhile, the police have identified the individual who displayed similar behaviour. His photo has been shared for a lookout.
