The white man in Connecticut who starred in a viral video that showed him using racist language while violently attacking teenage smoothie shop workers over the contents of a smoothie also threaded to kill them “multiple times,” according to one of the employees.
Two of the three young workers at a Robeks shop in Fairfield who were subjected to the expletive-laden attack by James Iannazzo — a now-unemployed financial manager who was arrested and charged — spoke out for the first time to the press to provide some precious context to the unfortunate episode.
Iannazzo reportedly bought a smoothie over the weekend but returned angrily later because he said a child at his home had a severe allergic reaction to the smoothie that apparently contained peanut products. The video shows him losing all self-control and launching into a furious rage aimed at the teenage workers, who encouraged him to file a complaint with the corporate offices while demanding that he leave the shop. Iannazzo ignored those demands and first threw a smoothie at one of the workers before repeatedly trying to break into the “employees only” section of the shop from where the employees were standing behind the counter.
At one point, Iannazzo is heard calling one of the workers — identified as Gianna Miranda — an “immigrant loser.”
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Charli Hill, a high school student who filmed the video, told WSFB that the footage shared on social media did not include Iannazzo’s death threats and racist epithets he made toward Miranda and the others.
“He started to call her racial slurs,” Hill said. “He threatened to kill us multiple times.”
Hill added: “I understand and we are sorry on behalf of Robeks for how the smoothie was made, but it gives you absolutely no right to act out like that.”
Miranda suggested the bravery she displayed in standing up to Iannazzo belied her true feelings.
“It was kind of scary, I’m not going to lie because I’m like ‘I don’t know his intention or what he was going to do,’” she said.
James Iannazzo. | Source: Fairfield Police Department
Iannazzo was charged with intimidation based on bigotry or bias, breach of peace, and criminal trespass. But based on these new claims from Hill, it was unclear if Iannazzo could face additional and more serious charges.
In the meantime, Iannazzo is forced to find a new place of employment while awaiting his Feb. 7 court date.
After catching wind of Iannazzo’s racist and violent exploits threatening minors, Merrill Lynch swiftly fired him from his position as a managing director and wealth management adviser.
This is America.
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Smoothie Shop Workers Speak Out After Racist Attack: ‘He Threatened To Kill Us Multiple Times’ was originally published on newsone.com
