CHICAGO (WSVN) — A Chicago man is facing hate crime charges after he went on a racist rant inside a Starbucks store, then attacked bystanders.
Fox 32 reports that 24-year-old William Boucher faces four counts of aggravated battery and four counts of committing a hate crime for the June incident.
Police said Boucher “became irate” after someone accidentally spilled a drink on his pants.
A photographer for WLS-TV happened to be in the coffee shop, and captured video of Boucher using racial slurs as well, telling one man, “Your children are despicable vermin.”
The video also caught him saying “shut up, slave” and yelling at another person, “Get on all fours. You don’t deserve to walk on two legs.”
According to officers, Boucher left the Starbucks and punched a 59-year-old homeless man “unprovoked.” He also allegedly spit on two black bystanders, one of whom took him to the ground to hold him until police arrived.
Gerald Mitchell said Boucher spit at in his face and kneed him repeatedly as he held him down for over 10 minutes until officers showed up on the scene.
“I try to see the good in people,” Mitchell said. “I don’t know his background. I would try to give him the benefit of the doubt. I just know it was downright wrong. Disgusting… I hope he learns something from this.”
A Starbucks spokesperson said in a statement: “We have absolutely no tolerance for this type of behavior in our stores, and are grateful to the partners (employees) and customers who stepped in to help until officers arrived.”
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