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A woman is being slammed as a ‘California Karen’ after she was recorded racially abusing a black man at a swanky Santa Barbara restaurant.
The altercation, which transpired at The Boathouse at Hendry’s Beach Wednesday, reportedly started after the woman, who has not yet been identified, began berating staff at the bayside eatery after her card was declined the night before.
As an argument ensued, Ian Soleimani, a 39-year-old African-American man who works as a DJ, whipped out his phone and started recording the woman’s tirade – spurring her to turn her aggression on to him.
The five-minute clip – which shows the woman hurl racist insults at Soleimani – has since amassed tens of thousands of views online.
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The altercation, which transpired at The Boathouse at Hendry’s Beach Wednesday, reportedly started after the woman (at right) began berating a manager (at left) at the swanky, bayside eatery after her card was declined the night before
As an argument ensued, Ian Soleimani, a 39-year-old DJ, whipped out his phone and started recording the woman’s tirade – spurring her to turn her aggression on to him
The footage begins with the woman laying into one of the restaurant’s managers over the unpaid check from May 10, which saw staffers reportedly confiscated the woman’s ID per the eatery’s policy.
Returning the next day to pay the outstanding balance, the woman reportedly attempted to use PayPal to pay the unreported sum – which too proved unsuccessful.
The video begins with the woman repeatedly asking for her ID from the manager, who politely asserts that the tab still had not been paid.
‘It was paid, though, ma’am, and you rejected the payment,’ the woman, sporting a pair of sunglasses and clutching an iPad, says in the clip. ‘What part of you rejecting the payment don’t you recall?’
The confrontation soon escalates after the woman notices Soleimani recording, leading her to spew racial insults at the man.
‘Excuse me, sir. Hi, one of four black people in Santa Barbara,’ the increasingly incensed customer sarcastically snipes in the footage.
Apparently noticing both Soleimani and the staffer react to the off-color remark, the woman doubles down on her comments in the footage.
The footage begins with the woman laying into one of the restaurant’s managers over the unpaid check from May 10, which saw staffers reportedly confiscated the woman’s ID per the eatery’s policy
The confrontation escalates after the woman notices Soleimani recording, leading her to spew racial insults at the man
‘Excuse me, sir. Hi, one of four black people in Santa Barbara,’ the increasingly incensed customer sarcastically snipes in the footage
The clip showed the woman verbally attacking the manager as well as the DJ, who started recording after he saw the abuse
Pictured is The Boathouse at Hendry’s Beach restaurant, where the May 11 altercation occurred
‘Oh, now I’m a racist, terrible person, sorry, just because you’re an obnoxious guy. It’s not your fault that you’re black, of course. Just obnoxious,’ the woman says.
‘I’m against obnoxious people to be clear, not against the black people.’
At another point in the clip, where the woman asks Soleimani why he has his phone out, the DJ responds, ‘Taking a video of this. This is absolutely ridiculous.’
‘Are you sending it to the FBI after this?’ the woman sarcastically responds. ‘I might go psychotic pretty soon. I’m probably going to, I’m probably going to get very violent pretty soon, I’m glad you’re here.’
Soleimani, somehow keeping his composure, then replies, ‘Cool, keep going.’
The woman then turns her attention back to the restaurant staffer, and the two continue to go back and forth about her ID. The manager eventually suggests the irate woman ‘call it a day.’
The woman, however, remains adamant in the footage that she needs the card back, and insists that she’s made every effort to pay the bill, saying that other patrons even offered to foot the bill.
‘Again, don’t you have some fish to catch, African-American man?’ she says in the footage. Soleimani said he had been wearing a Santa Barbara Fish Market sweater during the altercation, prompting the woman’s fishing remarks.
The five-minute clip – which shows the woman repeatedly hurl racist insults at Soleimani – has since amassed tens of thousands of views online
‘I made an effort to pay for that, I had three people offering to pay for that because I’ve been here for so long and I took his but I discontinued the other offers, and then suddenly that offer is not good enough for you?’ she asks.
‘That’s not true,’ the manager replies in the footage.
The woman in turn responds: ‘Oh, now she’s Oprah – and a psychic on top of it.’
The woman then turns her attention again to Soleimani, once again evoking race, while sarcastically calling him ‘Mother Theresa’ for calmly recording the interaction.
‘Again, don’t you have some fish to catch, African-American man?’ she says in the footage.
Soleimani said he had been wearing a Santa Barbara Fish Market sweater during the altercation, prompting the woman’s fishing remarks.
‘Don’t you want to go on a boat and do some African-American fishing?’ she said.
‘And this man, who thinks he’s Mother Teresa for Santa Barbarans everywhere who want a pretentious breakfast, now he’s here,’ the woman went on.
‘Thank god he’s doing his three black people in Santa Barbara part – for Oprah apparently,’ she added, referring to longtime Santa Barbara resident Winfrey, who lives in upscale Montecito.
Other rich residents of the upscale nabe include Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, Maroon 5’s Adam Levine and Seinfeld showrunner Larry David.
At this point in the footage, the manager, seemingly fed-up with the woman’s behavior, leaves to retrieve the ID and gives it back to the woman.
The clip ends with the staffer barring the woman from ever returning to the restaurant.
Speaking to DailyMail.com Tuesday, Soleimani – who regularly works gigs at the ritzy eatery – said the incident is not uncommon, due to the affluent crowd the establishment typically attracts.
‘People have been kicked out multiple times for racial comments – some towards myself.
He said the incident ‘doesn’t surprise me,’ and that he has ‘learned to deal with’ such attacks.
He added that such incidents occur ‘all the time’ – and it was just in this particular instance, that the perpetrator was caught in the act.
Soleimani shared with DailyMail.com the name of the woman involved, but her identity could not be confirmed before the publishing of this article.
Eventually, seemingly fed-up with the woman’s behavior, the manager returned the woman – who has not been identified – her ID and banned her from the restaurant
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