Boca Raton Police say a white woman slapped an 11-year-old boy in the face and called him a racial slur after his go-kart hit hers at an amusement park in Florida on Saturday, Aug. 22. The woman involved has been arrested, is now facing felony charges.
According to police, the boy was riding in a go-kart at the Boomers amusement park in Boca Raton, Florida, when his kart collided with that of 30-year-old Haley Zager. After the ride ended, Zager approached the boy and slapped him in the face, then called him the N-word while explaining the slap to witnesses at the park. The boy was left with swelling around his eye, and was treated with ice pack. Zager was arrested and charged with felony child abuse charges.
“At the conclusion of the go-kart ride, Zager got out of her go-kart, approached [the boy] and slapped him in the face,” said Boca Raton police Officer Ricky Clinard. “After the incident, Zager stated to a Boomers employee, ‘The f—— n—– hit me in the back.'”
Zager admitted to hitting the boy after he rear-ended her in the kart but claimed she did not use a racial slur. She was charged with illegal possession of prescription drugs after officers discovered an Altoids container with pills inside in her underwear, and was released from Palm Beach County Jail on Monday on her own recognizance.
The child’s father said his son’s kart was pushed into Zager’s by another kart after an unrelated collision that resulted in a domino effect.
“At Boomers parks, we value being a family fun center inclusive to guests of all backgrounds. We are saddened that one of our guests did not possess these same values and we do not condone physical or verbal abuse amongst guests,” the park said in a statement. “We are appreciative of our staff and the police and fire rescue officers who acted swiftly to diffuse the situation.”
The park also invited the boy and his family to spend a day at the park for free.
