SILVER SPRING, Md. - A Maryland man was arrested and charged with a felony hate crime after police said he threatened to shoot a Silver Spring Taco Bell employee following a dispute over his order.
What we know:
Montgomery County police said 44-year-old Ryan Barile, of Halethorpe, made racially derogatory statements and threatened to shoot the employee on two consecutive days.
Barile is accused of racial harassment and serious threats of violence against the worker. According to charging documents, he went into the restaurant off Georgia Avenue on the afternoon of Thursday, Aug. 20. There was a dispute over his order, and police said Barile made racially targeted comments.
Court documents say Barile told a worker, "You people need to go back to your country," and told the worker to go outside so they could fight and he could hit her.
Barile allegedly went back to the restaurant the next day and made similar comments. Police said he called later in the day and threatened to shoot the employee.
"The biggest triggering piece of this is the threat itself of violence using a firearm in addition to the racially targeted and derogatory statements," said Montgomery County Police Captain Cody Fields.
Investigators said the violent outburst took place after Barile ordered his food from a kiosk. He claimed his order was missing a taco.
Taco Bell employee Angel B. has worked at the Silver Spring location for the last couple of years. He was not working on the afternoon when police said Barile went in.
"There’s a lot of situations that happen," said Angel B. "It happens everywhere, not just here. It goes both ways.
According to court records, Barile has a criminal record that includes domestic violence, trespassing, burglary, probation violations and more. In the Taco Bell hate crime case, he was charged with stalking and telephone misuse.
The Source: Information in this article is from the Montgomery County Police Department.