A video of four sorority girls harassing a hot dog vendor in San Diego has sparked outrage on social media and prompted the students' universities to initiate a probe.
The video in question, posted by Eden Alex Enamorado on Monday, Feb. 13, shows the altercation between the four women and the street vendor nearSan Diego State University's Viejas Arena.
'If You Charge Me $7, I'm Going to F*ck You Over'
The video shows one of the women throwing the vendor's ingredients around his cart while one of them is heard saying "If you charge me $7, I'm going to f*ck you over." The vendor is heard pleading them to stay away from his cart. At one point, one of the women is seen picking up a food item from the cart, licking it before placing it back on the cart.
Enamorado posted a follow-up video of his conversation with Alvarez, who said the dispute arose over the prices of the hot dogs, which were $7. Angry at the cost, the women demanded a cheaper price from Arguelles Alvarez. Alvarez refused and asked them to leave; However, they continued to bother Arguelles Alvarez by touching, eating and throwing his food.
Enamorado identified the four women as Breanna Peelman as Ella Markey, Viktoria Oleynik, Mersalle Haider and Arianna Rasooli and the vendor as Andres Arguelles Alvarez. He initially identified them as members of the Delta Gamma sorority on the San Diego State University campus. However, the fraternity issued a statement saying the women featured in the video have no connection to the sorority and were misidentified as members of the organization.
Rasooli's Employer YogaSix Calls Behavior Untolerable
After the video went viral, social media users brought the clip to the attention of Arianna Rasooli's employer YogaSix. The company later issued a statement saying Rasooli's behavior was untolerable and it intended to take disciplinary action against the employee.
"Behavior like this employee's is not tolerated in our studios, which are meant to be a safe, supportive, and inclusive space for all," the company said in a comment on Enamorado's video. "At this time, our local franchise partner has been notified and is taking action privately with the employee."
SDSU, CSUSM Release Statement
San Diego State University also released the following statement and said while it has not been confirmed that all the students in the video were from SDSU, it was conducting an investigation. "We are appreciative of those who quickly reported this incident to the university. The actions of those in the video are upsetting and inappropriate."
"While individual names have been shared online, it is not yet confirmed that those involved are SDSU students. SDSU's Center for Student Rights and Responsibilities is reviewing the video and is asking anyone who has specific information about what happened and those involved to report information as soon as possible via the online reporting form, which is linked in our bio."
"SDSU holds members of its community to standards of conduct regarding individual and community safety, and the behaviors of those in the video are not reflective of how we expect our community members to behave. SDSU can and will respond to any SDSU students whose behavior is incongruent with the institutional values espoused in the SDSU Student Code of Conduct."
California State University San Marcos also posted a similar statement saying "We appreciate all those who have reported the upsetting video circulating on social media. The actions of the individuals in that video are not consistent with our values at CSUSM."
"As we continued to gather information related to the incident, please know that we are committed to maintaining a safe and healthy environment for all members of our campus community. All CSUSM students also are held to the standards in our standards in our Standards for Student Conduct," the university added, before urging students with information to contact the dean's office.
