A barista smashed a customer’s windshield with a hammer after he threw coffee at her.
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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 when they had a heated exchange about the $22 price of the beverages.
Surveillance footage caught the interaction between the customer and the barista, which allegedly went on for 15 minutes. According to Lee, the customer — a regular at the establishment — argued with her over the price of his water and iced coffee.
At one point, the man exited his car while arguing with Lee, asking for money back. He also allegedly screamed, spit, and tried to pry open the window, which made Lee feel threatened.
“Get in your car and leave,” Lee ordered him. “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. “Nobody is going to miss you.”
He then threw a cup of water and an iced coffee at her, pouring it all over her and the side of the coffee shop.
Barista Smashes Customer’s Windshield After He Throws Coffee at Her
The barista’s reaction is now stirring a ton of controversy, as she grabbed a hammer and busted 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.
“It’s okay for him to be outraged about the price of his drinks, enough to assault me … and he is over a foot and a half taller than me, but it’s not appropriate for me to respond,” she said.
After the incident, Lee called the police and pressed charges against the man.
While some people think Lee went too far in her retaliation, others believe the angry customer deserved it.
“👏👏 THERE IS NO EXCUSE OR REASON TO THROW DRINKS!!!” one person wrote. “As a former barista at Starbucks and Dutch bros and have had hot drinks and cold drinks thrown at me. NO REASON OR EXCUSE.”
“People who don’t work in customer service don’t really understand how mentally draining it is to deal with multiple people with this same attitude. It’s exhausting,” another added.