This is the wild moment a bikini-clad barista takes revenge on her customer who threw his drink order at her – but not everyone is on her side.
Emma Lee, 23, owner of a Taste of Heaven Espresso in South Seattle, was serving a man a 32-ounce coffee and 24-ounce water on Tuesday when the pair had a heated exchange about the $22 price.
After she told the customer that ‘you don’t get to name your own price,’ he hit back saying, ‘Nobody is going to miss you.’
Surveillance video captured the moment the irate customer then got out of his vehicle, and tossed the large drinks at Lee before she took out a hammer, and smashed his windshield through the drive-thru window.
‘It was a threat,’ Lee said, who said she felt in danger. ‘It’s okay for him to be outraged about the price of his drinks, enough to assault me, but it’s not appropriate for me to respond?’
Emma Lee, 23, owner of a Taste of Heaven Espresso in South Seattle, fought back after a customer became aggressive with her and called police and later pressed charges
The male customer is seen standing outside of his car tossing his drinks at the bikini-clad Lee during their heated exchange on Tuesday
At one point in the video, the man is seen standing on the side of his car in front of the drive-thru window.
He reaches into the car and removes the two drinks he had just ordered, placing them on the counter.
The pair begin to argue over the price, and Lee is heard telling the man, ‘there is no $5 – you got two drinks that is not how this works,’ she said.
He replied, ‘Keep the $15 give me $5 …put it back whatever it was.’
Holding the iced coffee she had prepared for him she tells him as she is behind the window of her coffee stand, ‘Get in your car and leave.’
She continued: ‘If you don’t leave I am going to throw this on you! Do you want me to?’ You are pushing me take your f*****g drink and leave.’
‘I will take it. Keep the money,’ he said.
The man is seen holding the beverage containers, he then removes the lids from the drinks and throws them at her, before getting back into his car.
Lee is heard swearing – hammer in hand – as she smashes part of his windshield.
‘It was a threat after screaming, spitting, and trying to pry open the window, I felt in danger,’ Lee told Fox 13 Seattle.
After the ordeal, the customer refused to leave, which prompted Lee to call the police. The man was not arrested but had to leave the property.
‘It was understood that what happened is, he assaulted me, and I responded,’ she said, in part.
Lee, who works alone, said she was once an employee at A Taste of Heaven Espresso, and purchased the business when it became available.
She said that she acted in self-defense and had a right to protect her property, and encourages others to do the same, specifically woman like herself.
The young business owner filed charges of a misdemeanor assault, and the customer is banned from the stand.
The unidentified man, however, could take her to small claims court to pay for his broken windshield.
Lee is the only person who works at A Taste of Heaven Espresso
Later that afternoon she posted to her Instagram her response to her video that went viral which garnered more than 2K views.
‘I want to take a moment to address the real issue here. The safety of women, more specifically those that are disproportionately less protected,’ she said.
‘We work alone in this industry, wearing nearly nothing and interacting with men (most of which we don’t know) all day. The majority of people we meet throughout our shifts are kind, respectful, overall amazing humans!’
‘However, on occasion we see the ones that think it is appropriate to get violent both verbally and physically.
She said, in part: ”At what point during an assault does a woman have the right to protect herself? What is the appropriate response?’
Lee explained that she knew the customer that she had the dispute with, and claimed it was not the first time he was disrespectful.
‘I know this man. This wasn’t his first time being aggressive but it is the first time he’s ever gotten physically violent with me. He had gotten what he had paid for and was mad about the price.
‘The fact that the first thing people want to know is what I did to deserve him throwing two drinks at me is disgusting. We need to change the narrative of these conversations. What is deserving of that?’
Emma Lee pictured in her barista shop
She added: ‘This is no longer the time of women that will smile and apologize, having our only acceptable response be the art of de-escalation – this time, we will fight back!’
Most people supported Lee’s actions with many calling her a local hero, with some other woman in the industry sharing their horror stories with customers.
‘You’re amazing! This guy is a total creep! What a scary situation. Happy you’re ok,’ one person wrote.
‘The hammer to the windshield was extremely satisfying!!! I’m so glad you stood up for not only yourself but all of us girlies in the industry!!,’ said another.
‘We deal with this on a daily basis! Hopefully others will learn from this interaction.’
Another quipped. ‘I’m not crazy, right? He said ‘Nobody is going to miss you?’ ‘Cause that sounds like a threat to me. Be safe!’
Even a woman claiming to be Lee’s grandmother chimed in: ‘That’s my granddaughter,’ she said proudly.
‘Fierce runs strong in this family! The instant he got out of his car he became an imminent threat and Emma followed through swiftly and appropriately. Thats my girl.’
Others who viewed the video were not as keen on what Lee did to the customer, and felt there could have been another way to handle the incident.
‘Woman threatens to throw drink at man over a refund request ‘assaults’ man takes drinks without force and throws them at closed window forcing ‘business owner’ to clean up a mess for $5 worth of entertainment,’ quipped a reader.
‘So you then commit a felony and aggravated assault him … not a good look sweet pea. I hope you mend your relationship with your father.’
Another said: ‘Shxt just sound like you play you do shxt to ppl then play victim.’
One reader was just confused about the whole ordeal, and asked: ‘I don’t understand – what did he do to you?’
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