Tensions are rising across California as communities grapple with uncertainty and fear under the new Trump administration, with many residents feeling the weight of policies that directly affect immigrant and marginalized populations. Case in point: in San Diego yesterday, a heated standoff unfolded outside of a Target store, which saw a man harass and threaten Hispanic Target customers who were outside queueing up to purchase some new Pokemon cards. The incident was caught on camera, and is circulating online right now.
The video was originally posted on Instagram, though has since made its way to Reddit. In the footage, we see a man sporting a red hoodie, blue pants, sunglasses, and a green cap as he approaches a queue of customers outside of a Target store reportedly in Rancho Cucamonga, San Diego. The accompanying caption reads, “Man Filmed Harassing Shoppers With Racist Slurs at Rancho San Diego Target“.
As the man approaches, he points toward several shoppers, who appear to be Hispanic, and repeatedly states loudly, “That guy’s illegal. That guy’s illegal.” One of the customers can be heard saying, “Nobody’s illegal.” The man then moves directly in front of one of the shoppers in the queue, standing uncomfortably close in a threatening manner. “You won’t hit me first. You won’t [expletive] do it. You won’t do it now will you?” the aggressor says, apparently attempting to provoke the other shopper into striking him first.
As the shopper asks the man to “back up,” he makes a hand gesture suggesting the man’s breath smells. The person filming the incident can be heard, saying, “He needs to be arrested, this guy.” A couple of the shopper’s friends step in, positioning themselves between the two men in a passive attempt to defuse the situation. Another person then intervenes and says, “Stop harassing people, dude.” and the man fires back, “I can harass whoever the [expletive] I want.” Some shoppers then accuse the man of parking in a handicapped space, and then explain to him that they’re queuing up to buy some Pokemon cards.
After some further heated back-and-forth, the man ridicules the Pokemon shoppers, and one of the them replies loudly with, “[Expletive] you! You ain’t got [expletive] to live for. Your life is meaningless. You’re a loser.”
With the video continuing to garner attention online, social media users flocked to the comments to share their thoughts. On Instagram, “Bro hit him in the soul when he told him your life is meaningless hahaha” while another declared, “So proud of the young man who stood his ground and pushed him up off 👏”. Over on Reddit, one netizen expressed, “He stops dead in his tracks when called a loser. His ex wife must’ve used that against him when she took the kids.” while another chipped in with, “I noticed that too LMAO. That one seemed to cut deep.”
It’s unclear whether police arrived on the scene, but based on available information, no one was physically harmed, aside from a bruised ego.
