A mask dispute at a Fort Lauderdale Walgreens ended with an arrest after a New York couple on vacation and their friend say they were targeted with a racist and Islamophobic rant.
The incident was recorded and shared on Facebook by Nahla, who is Egyptian American. She told Insider that she, her husband Tamir and their friend Angie were shopping when a woman walked in without a mask. An employee asked the woman to put one on, and according to Nahla, the woman then turned her attention to the group.
A police report reviewed by Insider identifies the woman as Lubyca and says she spat on Tamir. In the videos, she can be heard insulting Nahla and Angie, who both wear hijab, and making disparaging remarks about Muslims. Police and witnesses also accused her of using racial slurs toward a Black employee and a Black police officer. Police arrested her at the scene.
The woman told Local 10 that she felt she was provoked. She is presumed innocent of any charges.
Nahla said she started recording to show police what was happening and had not planned to post it. She decided to share it, she said, to encourage Muslims to stand up for themselves and call the police. In the video, Tamir tells the woman he forgives her, while Nahla and Angie said they were not ready to. Angie said watching the video still hurts.
Omar Saleh, an attorney with the Council on American Islamic Relations who has been assisting Nahla, said the couple did not plan to take legal action.
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