What was supposed to be a day of family-friendly fun turned ugly Sunday when a man attending the Southwest Florida & Lee County Fair in Fort Myers attacked a ride operator who called him the N-word.
Trevor Reiland and his family were on one of the kiddie coasters when the fight unfolded just after 5:30 p.m., Fort Myers outlet NBC2 reports. Reiland said the scuffle began after the ride operator called the man’s wife a “b—h” and proceeded to use a racial slur.
“The guy wouldn’t let that gentleman’s kids on the ride; I’m not sure why,” he recalled, “I could hear him call his wife a b—h.”
The man who was insulted is African-American, and the fair worker is white.
In a video filmed by Reiland, the man is seen repeatedly confronting the ride operator and daring him to step off the ride platform and “come see him.” Things only escalated from there.
The fair worker dubs the man a “stupid motherf—-r” before returning his attention back to the ride. In the recording, children are heard weeping as they watch in horror. Parents seemed unsure of what to do and urged their young kids to keep calm.
Meanwhile, the man and the fair worker continued to exchange words. At one point, the employee shouts, “F–k you, you stupid n—-r bitch,” drawing gasps from the horrified families.
“Let’s just get off,” a woman pleads.
Moments later, the man grabs the ride operator from behind, yanking him by the neck in an attempt to pull him over the platform’s railing. The attack sent everyone scurrying off the ride.
According to NBC2, the foul-mouthed operator works for a private company contracted by the Lee County Fair to run the rides. Officials later confirmed the unnamed employee had been fired.
Lee County Fair manager Fran Crone addressed the incident in a statement, condemning the men’s behavior.
“The Board of Directors of the Southwest Florida and Lee County Fair Association, Inc., does not in any way condone the type of behavior displayed in the video,” Crone wrote, in part. “The Fair Association strives to provide the community with a family friendly, safe, fun, and affordable experience that can be enjoyed by all.”
There’s no word on whether either man will face charges in the altercation.
Watch more in the video below.
