A Florida man was suspended from his job after two viral videos showed him catching a beatdown after assaulting a Black mother in front of her children.
The incident occurred last Saturday evening at the Opa-Locka Hialeah Flea Market in Miami, according to Local 10. A cellphone video taken by a bystander showed a mother departing a ferris wheel with her two small children as a worker held onto the car. After the mother and her kids were off, she and the carnie began to argue.
Brawl at Opa Locka Hialeah Flea Market Carnival last night after ferris wheel operator goes wild #BecauseMiami video: @jusbeinqgabby pic.twitter.com/CqplzjdB1Y
— Billy Corben (@BillyCorben) April 18, 2021
As they shouted, the man started swinging on the woman, and she aptly responded with her own punches. The woman’s daughter was on the ground– inches away as her mother was attacked. The one-on-one fight turned into an all-out brawl after several bystanders, mostly women, popped off after watching the burly carnie attack the woman. Off-duty cops on the scene tried to stop the chaos but ended up calling for backup around 9:44 pm.
A longer video showed a possible motive for the mother’s anger. In the clip, the worker hit a button that made the Ferris wheel run at an alarming speed.
Related Story: Black Women Accused of Attacking Asian Hair Store Owner Claim They Were Racially Profiled
The ride’s pace drew screams from the riders and onlookers. When another worker walked up to him, he aggressively pushed the other man off the platform before operating the ride again.
“This man trippin’ y’all,” said one woman. “He tried to fight the other worker because he don’t wanna let the people off.”
Seconds later, the fight with the mother occurred.
On Sunday, the Opa-Locka Police Department announced they interviewed the mother and determined there was “probable cause” to arrest the flea market worker.
UPDATE: @OpalockaPD says they "interviewed and secured a written statement from the victim and probable cause exists to arrest the carnival employee depicted in the video." City manager @JohnEPateCOL told me, "I have confidence the offender will be in our custody in short order." pic.twitter.com/j4F8qSUcSd
— Billy Corben (@BillyCorben) April 18, 2021
A Hildebrand Amusement Rides rep told NBC 6 the employee is on suspension, and his actions are not condoned. It is unclear if the man has been arrested.
