Chicago man arrested after racist tirade at Starbucks: ‘Shut up slave’

Jun 9, 2017

A man was arrested in Chicago after going on a racist tirade and punching an apparently homeless man outside a Starbucks.

The entire incident was captured on video by an ABC7 Eyewitness News photographer, with the video showing the moment a man in a light suit started shouting abuse at an African-American man after he became enraged when coffee was spilled on him.

“Shut up slave! Do not talk to me!” the man shouted.

“Calling people racist slurs. When I was coming to work, I was not expecting to see that,” said Juan Torres, who works at the Starbucks.

“You’re disgusting,” the man replied.

“I was shocked because I thought it was going to end right there. Security was going to come. The cops were going to show up,” Torres said.

Instead, the man continued his tirade, lashing out at a second man who was recording the incident, yelling, “Your children are disposable vermin!”

Bystanders intervened to keep him from punching anyone even as the man continued to yell, “Get on all fours right now! Get on all fours! Do not walk off on two legs!”

The man started to leave and then punched what appears to be a homeless man, who was taken to the hospital to treat an eye injury. Witnesses tackled the man to the ground and held him there until the authorities could arrive and arrest him. Charges are now pending against him.