A veteran news anchor in Miami has been suspended by her employer after spewing out racial epithet during a dispute with a neighbor.
WSVN-Channel 7 said it has placed Robin Cross on leave pending an investigation into the incident which was captured on video earlier this week, according to The Miami Herald.
The 25-year news veteran, who has worked at CBS 4 and NBC 6 in Miami, CBS 12 in West Palm Beach, the Sun-Sentinel, as well as WIOD-610 AM radio, has also been asked to write a statement explaining her actions.
WSVN-Channel 7 said Robin Cross (pictured) was suspended this week after a clip of her using the n-word came to light
Sources say that Cross has been at loggerheads with her neighbor Robert Fenton (pictured left), while his lawyer son, Avery Fenton (Right), demanded the station immediately fire Cross
According to the Herald who spoke to sources close to Cross, the 49-year-old has been embroiled in a neighborhood dispute since she moved to Fort Lauderdale’s Isle of Venice Drive four years ago.
Sources say that Cross has been at loggerheads with her neighbor Robert Fenton and his family over her parking in front of their house.
Things finally erupted into a ugly, profanity-laced tirade on Tuesday when Cross started lobbing curse words at her neighbor
Things finally erupted into a ugly, profanity-laced tirade on Tuesday when Cross started lobbing four-letter curse words at her neighbor after she parked near the retired car dealer’s driveway.
‘You don’t f*****g own the road,’ Cross is heard in the video taped by Fenton after he came out to confront her.
‘Yes, I used the word f**king if you haven’t heard it before,’ she continues, adding at the of the 50-second clip: ‘Except for your f**king son who’s dating a f**king n****r.’
‘Finally, I said it out loud,’ Cross says as she walks away.
Soon after the incident, Fenton’s son, who is a local attorney, wrote to Cross’ station manager demanding her immediate termination.
‘Your employee reduced my girlfriend to nothing other than a slur based off of the color of her skin last night,’ Avery Fenton wrote to SVN news director Tony Gonzalez.
Robert Fenton later told the Herald that at one point, Cross begins waving her WSVN press credentials at him, which was not captured on video.
‘She was using her press credentials as a weapon,’ he said. ‘It’s saying look at who I am and how much power I have. I’m gonna get you.
‘Obviously, she is very bigoted and there’s something wrong with her,’ the elder Fenton said.
Spokeswoman for WSVN Lily Pardo said she couldn’t comment due to the ongoing investigation.