US banker fired and charged after a racist tirade over a smoothie
<p>A wealthy US banker has been fired from his job and charged with a hate crime after a video of him berating young staff in a smoothie shop has gone viral. </p>
<p>James Iannazzo, 48, threw a smoothie at a teenage employee before calling her a "f**king immigrant", all while other staff filmed his racist rant. </p>
<p>The bizarre encounter erupted after a visibly irate Mr Iannazzo returned to the store in Connecticut after an hour earlier ordering a smoothie that contained peanuts, which caused his highly allergic son to have a reaction and require hospitalisation, according to authorities. </p>
<p>According to a police report, Mr Iannazzo ordered the drink without peanut butter, but did not mention his son's allergy to the workers. </p>
<p>The video captured by an employee shows Mr Iannazzo demanding to know who made the original drink, before lashing out and calling the staffers <span>“f**king stupid, f**king ignorant high school kids”.</span></p>
<p><span>He then allegedly called one of the workers a "f**king b***h" </span>before hurling the drink at her, striking her shoulder. </p>
<p>Mr Iannazzo continued his expletive-ridden tirade before calling the employee he hit with the drink a "f**king immigrant".</p>
<p>The video was originally posted to TikTok and Twitter where it has amassed over 16 million views, and thousands of comments blasting the man's behaviour. </p>
<p>A spokesman for the man's employer Merrill Lynch told the <a href="https://nypost.com/2022/01/24/merrill-lynch-financial-adviser-fired-after-racist-tirade/">New York Post</a> that <span>Mr Iannazzo was fired from the wealth management firm as a direct result of the </span>incident. </p>
<p><span>“Our company does not tolerate behaviour of this kind. We immediately investigated and have taken action. This individual is no longer employed at our firm,” a statement said.</span></p>
<p><span>After initially fleeing the store before police arrived at the call of an employee, Mr Iannazzo later turned himself in. </span></p>
<p><span>He told a local news station that he freaked out after his son's reaction to the drink, causing him to return to the store.</span></p>
<p>“My son lost the capacity to breathe properly; his lips and face swelled up, and he required an EpiPen shot, but it did not offer him relief,” Mr Iannazzo told <a href="https://www.wtnh.com/news/connecticut/fairfield/man-arrested-for-altercation-at-robeks-goes-viral-on-tiktok/">WTNH</a>. “I called 911. My son then went to the bathroom, threw up and fell unconscious to the floor. He threw up again. My wife gave him another EpiPen while I called 911 again. Thank God, he is doing okay.”</p>
<p>“I was out of my mind with fear for him when I returned to Robeks, and I wish I had not done so,” Mr Iannazzo said. “I also wish they had been more careful preparing my son’s beverage. I will be extending my apologies personally to the Robeks organization, particularly the staff that was working there that night.”</p>
<p>“My actions at Robeks were wrong, and I deeply regret them. They do not reflect my values or my character. I feel terrible that I lost my composure so completely,” he said.</p>
<p>Mr Iannazzo has since been charged with intimidation based on bigotry or bias, breach of peace and criminal trespass. </p>
<p><em>Image credits: TikTok / Fairfield Police Department</em></p>
