A chaotic scene unfolded inside a 7-Eleven after a Caucasian couple hurled racial slurs at an African American customer during a heated argument. According to onlookers, the trouble started when the woman’s payment was declined at the Rochester, New York, location. Frustrated, she insisted on getting milk for her child, refusing to step aside.
A Black customer nearby reportedly told her that her husband was waiting outside and urged her to get her phone to purchase the item and move to the back of the line. Instead of de-escalating, the situation grew more volatile, according to witnesses.
The store’s surveillance camera captured the heated exchange. In the footage, the woman yells, directing a racial slur at the man while pointing her finger in his face. He fires back with his insults, warning her to back off before things get physical. He also calls her out for allegedly harassing the store clerk.
When her partner stepped into the store, he heard the Black customer threatening to slap her while she argued. He also joins the verbal altercation, shouting a racial slur that causes the confrontation to explode into violence. The Black man lunged at him, but the woman jumped in the way, taking a hit to the head in the process.
He swings at the man again, and the woman gets hit. She seemingly tries to use her body to shield her partner, and she gets thrown to the ground while both men fight. Meanwhile, the two cause some damage in the store while they fight, and the store clerk demands they leave. At one point, the Black man was screaming at the woman’s partner that he tried to help him.
The woman also rejoins the fight, and the white man attempts to end the fight, urging them both to stop. However, the woman also tries to fight the person filming, causing more conflict. The Black man later begins swinging at them again, hitting them both.
The fight ended shortly after the white man was kicked in the face. After all three left the store, the woman still attempted to continue the fight, despite her partner wanting to leave. The incident is reportedly under investigation, but police have not yet commented on the altercation.
