What happened in the Starbucks hate attack in Mountain View?

A 33-year-old Chinese-American woman, Daixin Neill-Quan, was arrested after an attack at a Starbucks store in Mountain View, California. On the afternoon of May 28 she verbally abused the Indian-American store manager, insulted a Latina customer for speaking English with an accent, and struck her multiple times. Police charged her with hate crime and battery.

Witnesses said the attack was completely unprovoked, and other customers restrained her until officers arrived. Starbucks responded that it will not tolerate racism or discrimination. The case drew wide attention after the Santa Clara County District Attorney noted the apparent bias motive, and it has prompted community discussion about safety in coffee shops.

Recently, a shocking assault occurred at a Starbucks store in Mountain View, California. A 33-year-old Chinese-American woman suddenly verbally abused the Indian-American store manager, and when several customers stepped in to intervene, she verbally insulted and physically attacked a Latina woman. Police arrested her on charges of hate crime and battery. The incident sparked widespread attention, and Starbucks officially responded that it will never tolerate any form of racism or discrimination. Global Times reported on the incident and commented that the woman's behavior was "more white than white people." This article will walk you through the incident, the responses from all parties, and the community reaction.

According to multiple overseas media reports, a violent conflict recently occurred at a Starbucks store in Mountain View, California. Local police revealed that on the afternoon of May 28, a 33-year-old woman named Daixin Neill-Quan (Chinese name Quan Daixin) suddenly verbally abused staff inside the coffee shop, and when other customers tried to stop her, they were also subjected to her verbal and physical attacks.

The Mountain View Police Department said in a statement on June 3 local time that after Quan entered the Starbucks on the afternoon of May 28, she verbally abused the store's Indian-American manager for no reason. She appeared to mistake the manager for Mexican because of his skin color, said she would have him deported back to Mexico, and shouted at him to go back to his own country.

- The store manager being interviewed by the media afterward

Because the incident happened suddenly, when a Latina woman stepped forward to intervene, she was also insulted by Quan, simply because she spoke English with an accent when ordering coffee. Quan also took out her phone to film the woman, threatening to report her to the U.S. government and military and have her deported. As the Latina woman tried to stop the filming, Quan struck her multiple times, causing injuries to her face and ears.

- The Chinese-American woman involved

Afterward, other customers worked together to stop and restrain the woman, and police arrested her after arriving at the scene. Santa Clara County District Attorney Rosen noted that the attack appeared to be completely unprovoked.

During the investigation, witnesses said that absolutely no one at the scene did anything to provoke or antagonize Quan. The customer who was attacked was merely ordering coffee from the staff and had no contact with Quan before stepping in. Rosen also mentioned that Quan tried to attack a Spanish-speaking child but was stopped in time by the child's father.

Police said in the statement that Quan was arrested on charges of hate crime and battery, both misdemeanors. She is currently being held in a local jail with bail set at $10,000.

After the incident came to light, overseas netizens reacted strongly, quickly launching an online manhunt for the Chinese-American woman and leaving condemning comments under her personal social media accounts.

According to reports cited by Global Times, judging from the account's posts and pinned content, the woman appears to be a staunch supporter of former U.S. President Trump. On May 17, 2020, she posted on her social media account celebrating that Trump was not impeached by Congress, and on January 19, 2021, she posted on Facebook accusing the U.S. Democratic Party and the media of persecuting Trump, and used racist language to insult U.S. Vice President Harris.

In response to the incident, Starbucks said on June 3: The company does not tolerate any form of racism or discrimination, and the safety of customers and partners (employees) is always our top priority. We thank all the customers who stepped forward when the incident occurred and will stand with them.

Just last month, current U.S. President Biden said regarding hate crimes against minorities: "There is no harbor for hate in America. Everyone deserves to be treated with respect and dignity." He also said: "For generations of Americans, racism, harassment, and hate crimes still exist, so this fight for equality has only just begun. America is facing not only those who have committed serious crimes that endanger the lives and safety of others, but also those whose minds are filled with wrong ideas, and those who use power, prestige, and money to induce others to do terrible things."

When commenting on the woman's behavior, Global Times described her as "more white than white people."

Image source: Internet, Global Times

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The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.