3-Year-Old Spat On, Called N-Word By A Firefighter In Hooters

Police in Overland Park, Kansas, said charges will be filed against a man after he allegedly spat on a 3-year-old child and hurled a racial slur at him at a Hooters restaurant, reports said Saturday.

The police department released a statement Friday saying: “The suspect will be charged regarding this incident.”

Several news reports stated the suspect in the incident is a firefighter in Kansas. However, the police department confirmed in their statement he is not an Overland Park firefighter as stated by some media outlets.

Overland Park Police spokesman John P. Lacey told the Kansas City Star the suspect was a first responder but they have not identified which agency he worked for, while adding the person did not work in Kansas.

According to the police statement released Friday, the incident occurred at a Hooters in Overland Park, Kansas, Feb. 26.

Police said they responded to a call of child battery on the day of the incident.

"Witnesses on scene reported the child was called a racial slur and the suspect spit on the child," Lacey said in a statement Friday.

The suspect has not been named yet, but authorities said he will be charged. CBS affiliate KCTV spoke to a witness at the scene, who reportedly said he was surprised by a statement the suspect made to police.

“He basically said get that little ‘blank’ up off the floor,” the witness recalled. “The ‘n-word’ started to get thrown around.”

The witness, who wanted to remain anonymous, reportedly told the outlet he was about five feet away from the altercation inside Hooters last Monday around 8:15 p.m. EST. He said he saw a 3-year-old black boy wander away from his family and, when the family member came to retrieve the preschool-aged kid, another customer present there used a racial slur and spat at the child.

He said he expected a physical altercation would follow, but instead, police were called to the Hooters restaurant.

The witness said he was even more surprised when authorities came inside and interviewed the suspect, who told police he was a first responder.

“I didn’t catch what the officer said to him, but his immediate response was ‘It’s OK. I’m a fireman’ — like that was supposed to blanket cover everything for him,” the witness said.

Overland Park police said Thursday they had spoken with the family of the child again for more clarification, and that there were several witnesses at the scene.

The family told KCTV they were celebrating a birthday at Hooters with about 20 to 30 guests. The family said the 3-year-old wandered away from the party.

The child’s grandfather spoke to KCTV on Friday, but did not reveal his name because he said he feared retaliation.

“My whole body just went numb,” he said. “How could someone do that to a child? He’s a baby. He’s helpless. He didn’t deserve that.”

Hooters released a statement Saturday regarding the incident:

“Hooters does not tolerate any harassment or discriminatory language, the safety and well-being of our guests and employees are our utmost priorities.

Of course it goes without saying that our policy is to fully cooperate with any law enforcement investigation.

— Hooters of America”