A man called out on social media for hurling a racial slur while standing in line for a ride at Knott’s Berry Farm and then later getting into a fight has apparently lost his job with a Riverside County water district.
A video of the July 12 incident, widely circulated on TikTok and Instagram, shows the man, accompanied by a woman, calling a patron a (expletive) wetback” after some kind of dispute. In another video recorded at Knott’s, the same man appears to be involved in a physical altercation.
@wild6outlawrealityshow #duet with @SD_Slick #knottsberryfarm
♬ Así Fue – En Vivo Desde Bellas Artes, México/ 2013 – Juan Gabriel
Knott’s security personnel responded and removed the man from the park for the remainder of the day. It is unknown if he faces criminal charges. The Southern California News Group has not independently confirmed the man’s identity, and it is unknown what prompted the racially charged incident and subsequent fight.
As a result of the incident, the man no longer works at the Eastern Municipal Water District in Perris.
“EMWD is committed to guiding principles that include respect, integrity, accountability, and maintaining a safe environment for all employees, customers, and the communities we serve,” the water district said in a statement Friday, July 25. “We remain dedicated to our mission, vision, and guiding principles to provide safe, reliable services to our customers and ensuring that every individual is treated with dignity and respect.”
In a separate Knott’s incident caught on video also on July 12, a woman — also waiting in line — made racist comments to a ride operator and a family, as well as threatened to call U.S. immigration officers.
@mlfmnyyyy This woman was upset that my family and I occupied the seat she wanted, and when the ride operator stood her ground and told her she already assigned us to the seat, she began threatening her with calling immigration. The operator calmly explained that if she was going to be disrespectful, that she would be calling security. This woman decided to cross her arms and refuse to leave the ride. I told her to get off the ride and stop acting like a child, to which she responded that she should call immigration on the both of us. Which escalated into both parts of this video. NEVER STAY QUIET. NEVER BACK DOWN TO BULLIES. ROAR. YELL. CALL THEM OUT. She later referred to me as a whore, a wetback, and other things I can’t even remember because I was trying not to physically escalate this situation. Thank you to all riders who approached me with encouragement and support afterward & don’t forget the ride operator who was forced to continue working after being verbally abused by this woman. How about we normalize telling wyte people to go back to their country? I bet you she has no idea where her ancestors are from, cause it surely isn’t North America.
Knott’s security personnel quickly responded and made contact with the woman, who was banned from the park for life.
“Providing a safe, respectful, and family-friendly atmosphere is the type of experience our guests expect and deserve and is a responsibility that the park takes very seriously,” Knott’s said in a statement. “We have zero tolerance for any type of inappropriate behavior.”
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