Man arrested after alleged racist tirade over smoothie
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Man arrested after alleged racist tirade over smoothie
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Fairfield, Connecticut — A man who allegedly launched a racist tirade in a Robeks store after his son had an allergic reaction to a smoothie was charged with a bias crime and fired by Merrill Lynch. His lawyer denies he's racist.
Fairfield police say James Iannazzo bought the smoothie Sunday and brought it home, where an ambulance was called and his son was taken to a hospital.
According to police, Iannazzo went back to the Robeks a short time later and confronted employees, yelling and demanding to know who made the smoothie. It contained peanuts, which caused his son's allergic reaction.
Officials said when Robeks employees couldn't say, he became irate and started cursing and throwing things at workers. A drink he allegedly threw hit an employee's shoulder, but the worker wasn't hurt.
Police say Iannazzo then commented on one employee's immigration status.
He was asked to leave several times by employees but, police say, kept yelling, and tried to open a door leading to an "Employees Only" area, but it was locked.
According to police, Iannazzo left before they arrived but later turned himself in without incident.
High school student Charli Hill, a Robeks worker, told CBS Hartford affilitate WFSB-TV she took a video of the incident. It went viral.
"He started to call her racial slurs. He threatened to kill us multiple times," Hill said. "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."
Gianna Miranda said she was the teen who was hit by the smoothie.
"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,'" Miranda said.
Police said Iannazzo told officers he was upset about his son's severe allergic reaction.
According to police, employees reported Iannazzo never mentioned a peanut allergy, but only asked that them not to put peanut butter in the drink.
Iannazzo was charged with intimidation based on bigotry or bias, breach of peace, and criminal trespass.
Merrill Lynch, where Iannazzo was employed, issued a statement to WFSB saying it "does not tolerate behavior of this kind. We immediately investigated and have taken action. This individual is no longer employed at our firm."
Iannazzo's attorney, Frank J. Riccio II, tweeted a statement saying Iannazzo "wholeheartedly regrets" the incident, isn't racist, and was only acting out of parental instinct, anger and fear:
Iannazzo is scheduled to be in court early next month.
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He was in the right up to a point, and then he crossed that point. I think the judge ought to cut him a little slack though.
Make the non peanut butter smoothies at home next time too.
I like that the story says he "allegedly" threw the drink at a worker. lol. There is video of him throwing the drink at the worker.
If you have a life threatening allergy to peanuts, you should never be ordering a smoothie from a place that offers nuts or peanut butter as a smoothie ingredient, no matter what. All the mixing cups will likely have remnants of nut oil on them. Why would you play with your life like that? I have had five smoothies per week for the last seven years, and I’ve never once bought a smoothie. Just make the fucking thing at home for your kid, you lazy racist piece of shit.
If your son has a life-threatening allergy to peanuts why in hell would you order a smoothie from a place that offers nuts or peanut butter a part of the ingredients.
I mean, he had to take his kid to the hospital. I totally get why he’s pissed. That doesn’t make it ok to throw shit at people of course, but I get it.
But who gives a shit if he’s racist? That seems to be the Number One concern in this story. Not that a kid went to the hospital. Not that this guy was terrorizing people and throwing shit, which could actually hurt someone. No, the real crisis is that he might have said something racist.
Priorities.