This is the wild moment a bikini-clad barista gets revenge on her customer who threw her drinks order at her – but not everyone is on her side.
Emma Lee, 23, owner of Taste of Heaven Espresso in South Seattle, was serving a man a 32-ounce coffee and 24 ounces of water Tuesday when the couple got into a heated exchange over the $22 price tag. .
After she told the customer that “you can’t set your own price,” he responded by saying, “No one is going to miss you.”
Surveillance video captured the moment the angry customer exited his vehicle and threw the large drinks at Lee before she pulled out a hammer and smashed his windshield through the car window.
“He was a threat,” said Lee, who said he felt in danger. ‘It’s okay for him to be outraged by the price of his drinks, enough to attack me, but isn’t it appropriate for me to respond?’
Emma Lee, 23, owner of Taste of Heaven Espresso in South Seattle, fought back after a customer became aggressive toward her and she called the police and then filed charges.
The male customer is seen standing outside his car throwing his drinks at a bikini-clad Lee during their heated exchange on Tuesday.
At one point in the video, the man is seen standing on the side of his car in front of the drive-thru window.
He reaches into the car, pulls out the two drinks he had just ordered, and places them on the counter.
The couple begins arguing about the price, and Lee is heard telling the man, “There’s no $5, you get two drinks, that’s not how this works,” he said.
He replied, ‘Keep the $15, give me $5… give it back, whatever it was.’
Holding the iced coffee he had made for her, he tells her while standing behind the window of his coffee stand, “Get in your car and go.”
She continued: ‘If you don’t leave, I’m going to throw this on you! You want me to?’ You’re pressuring me, take your damn drink and leave.”
‘I will take it. Keep the money,’ she said.
The man is seen holding the drink containers, then removes the lids from the drinks and throws them at them, before returning to his car.
Lee is heard cursing, hammer in hand, as he smashes part of his windshield.
“It was a threat, after yelling, spitting and trying to open the window, I felt in danger,” Lee said. Fox 13 Seattle.
After the ordeal, the customer refused to leave, prompting Lee to call the police. The man was not arrested but had to leave the property.
“It was understood that what happened was that he attacked me and I responded,” he said, in part.
Lee, who works alone, said she was once an employee at A Taste of Heaven Espresso and bought the business when it became available.
She said she acted in self-defense and had the right to protect her property, and she encourages others to do the same, specifically women like her.
The young business owner filed charges of misdemeanor assault and the customer was banned from the booth.
The unidentified man, however, could take her to small claims court to pay for her broken windshield.
Lee is the only person who works at A Taste of Heaven Espresso
Later that afternoon, he posted his response to her video on Instagram which went viral and garnered over 2,000 views.
‘I want to take a moment to address the real issue here. The safety of women, more specifically those who are disproportionately less protected,” she stated.
‘We work alone in this industry, wear almost nothing and interact with men (most of whom we don’t know) all day. Most of the people we meet throughout our shifts are kind, respectful and generally amazing human beings!’
‘However, sometimes we see those who think it is appropriate to become violent both verbally and physically.
He said in part: “At what point during an assault does a woman have the right to protect herself?” What is the appropriate response?
Lee explained that he knew the client with whom he had the dispute and stated that it was not the first time he had disrespected him.
‘I know this man. This wasn’t the first time he was aggressive, but it was the first time he became physically violent with me. He had gotten what he had paid for and was angry at the price.
‘The fact that the first thing people want to know is what I did to deserve two drinks is disgusting. We need to change the narrative of these conversations. What deserves that?’
Emma Lee in the photo of her barista
She added: “This is no longer the time for women to smile and apologize, with the only acceptable response being the art of de-escalation. This time, we will fight back!”
Most people supported Lee’s actions and many called her a local hero, and some other women in the industry shared their horror stories with customers.
‘You are amazing! This guy is a complete creep! What a terrifying situation. Happy you’re okay,” one person wrote.
‘The hammer on the windshield was extremely satisfying!!! “I’m so glad you stood up not only for yourself but for all of us in the industry!!,” said another.
‘We face this daily! Hopefully others will learn from this interaction.”
Another joked. ‘I’m not crazy, am I? He said, ‘Isn’t anyone going to miss you?’ Because that sounds like a threat to me. Be save!’
Even a woman claiming to be Lee’s grandmother chimed in: “That’s my granddaughter,” she said proudly.
‘Fierce runs strong in this family! The instant she got out of her car he became an imminent threat and Emma quickly and appropriately complied. That is my girl.’
Others who saw the video were not as interested in what Lee did to the customer and felt there could have been another way to handle the incident.
“Woman threatens to throw drink at man over refund request. ‘Assaults’ man limply grabbing drinks and throws them at closed window, forcing ‘business owner’ to clean up $5 worth of entertainment clutter,” one reader joked.
‘Then you commit a serious crime and aggravated assault… it doesn’t look good, darling. I hope you mend your relationship with your father.
Another said: “Shxt sounds like you’re playing games, you do shit to people and then you play the victim.”
One reader was confused about the whole ordeal and asked, “I don’t understand, what did he do to you?”