A woman was arrested and fired from her job after a video of her fighting inside a San Francisco restaurant went viral. The incident began with a heated argument between the female customer, later identified as Shireen Afkari, and the staff. Afkari appeared visibly intoxicated and upset after staff allegedly refused to continue serving her drinks at the bar.
Afkari was seen arguing with a manager while recording on her phone, seemingly attempting to document what she believed was mistreatment. However, several customers began filming her in response as her behaviour grew increasingly disruptive.
The woman continued to shout at the staff until she realised that they were clearly ignoring her. At that point, she redirected her anger toward another customer who was recording the scene. She lunged at the bystander, aggressively swinging at the customer, before her date eventually grabbed her and brought the situation under control.
Afkari was leaving when a female restaurant employee swiftly tripped her, sending her crashing to the ground outside the establishment. The tumble appeared painful, but it did not keep her down. In no time, she was back on her feet with renewed rage. Rather than ignoring her again, the staff carried her outside, prompting other customers to applaud.
Being thrown out did not sit well with Afkari, who retaliated by fighting and grabbing the hair of a restaurant worker who was helping remove her from the premises. When she was separated from the employee, she seemingly tried to make a run for it. However, she tripped again after bolting down the sidewalk. The cause of her fall was a bystander who witnessed the chaos outside. When she went down. She struck her face on the pavement and did not stand until her date came to her rescue.
The drama continued when the man accompanying Afkari, who was calm throughout the incident, became angry when she took out her frustration on him. She scolded him for not being “a man”, and his demeanour shifted. Before the scolding, he seemed focused mainly on getting her away from the scene; afterwards, he appeared as if he was struggling to contain his own anger. He was seen pushing strangers while he walked away.
Police later confirmed that officers located Afkari shortly after the incident and took her into custody Saturday night. Police were called to the restaurant along Hayes Street before 10 p.m. When they took Afkari into custody, she was booked into the county jail on a public intoxication charge.
Additionally, the fallout extended beyond the arrest. Afkari’s employer, fitness app company Strava, confirmed that she was fired following the incident. In a public statement, the company said it does not tolerate violence and that her behaviour did not reflect its standards, adding that her employment was terminated earlier in the week.
