The owner of a Seattle bikini espresso shop is defending her decision to smash a customer’s windshield with a hammer after he threw coffee at her.
The incident at Taste of Heaven Espresso was caught on camera at 3 p.m. June 11 and shared in a now-viral social media video. Emma Lee, 23, told FOX 13 Seattle it was not the first time the customer had been disrespectful, and she wants him held accountable for his actions.
What transpired on video was the culmination of a 15-minute exchange over the price of a 32-ounce coffee and 24-ounce water, Lee said. The price tag was $22.
Lee can be heard demanding the customer leave in the surveillance video posted to her personal Instagram page.
The unnamed customer can be seen throwing water and then coffee onto the barista who owns the Seattle espresso stand. (Obtained by FOX 13 Seattle)
“Nobody is gonna miss you,” the man can be heard saying.
“Do you want me to throw this on you?” she asked him.
“Give it to me,” he says, before taking the two cups back.
He then pops the lid off the water and throws it at her before doing the same with the coffee. He gets back in his car while Lee pulls out a hammer and strikes his windshield before he drives off.
Emma Lee, 23, said what happened was as a result of a 15-minute confrontation over the price of the coffee and water. (Obtained by FOX 13 Seattle)
“You don’t get to name your own price,” Lee told FOX 13, adding the man screamed, spit and tried to pry open the business’s window.
“It was a threat,” Lee said. “I felt in danger. It’s OK for him to be outraged about the price of his drinks, enough to assault me, but it’s not appropriate for me to respond?”
Police at the espresso stand investigating the alleged assault. (FOX 13 Seattle)
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Lee called police and told FOX 13 she filed charges for misdemeanor assault. Seattle Police did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for more information.
The customer is banned from returning to the business.