Man Allegedly Strikes Dollar Tree Employee For Calling His Wife A 'Karen'

A Florida man allegedly slapped a discount store employee earlier this week after the victim called the former's wife a "Karen" during an argument, police documents showed.

Authorities charged Jason Dobyns with felony battery over the incident that occurred in the Dollar Tree along Gulf to Bay Boulevard in Clearwater at around 8:20 p.m. Wednesday.

The 41-year-old New Port Richey resident "open hand slapped" the store employee's left cheek that night, the Smoking Gun reported, citing an arrest affidavit.

It was unclear if the victim, identified as Genesis Canales, 20, was injured as a result of the slap.

Prior to the attack, Dobyns' wife got into a verbal altercation with Canales "over grocery bags," the police said . Canales then called Dobyns' unidentified wife a "Karen" after the latter started to record the encounter.

The term is used to refer to "an obnoxious, angry, entitled, and often racist middle-aged white woman who uses her privilege to get her way or police other people's behaviors," according to Dictionary.com.

Officers responded to the store and arrested Dobyns following the incident, which authorities claimed was "observed by an independent witness."

Dobyns reportedly stated post Miranda rights that "there was a verbal altercation which occurred over the grocery bags then advised he no longer wanted to speak about the incident," the arrest affidavit read.

After being arrested, Dobyns said there was "a verbal altercation which occurred over the grocery bags," but added he "no longer wanted to speak about" the "Karen" confrontation.

He spent the night in the Pinellas County jail before posting $2,500 bond Thursday morning.

Dobyns was previously convicted of battery back in 2000.

In a similar story that happened in July, a fast-food worker in Arizona punched an elderly customer after the latter complained about his order. Antoine Kendrick was manning the register of a Wendy's in Yavapai County on July 26 when a 67-year-old man made a complaint. Kendrick, 35, was then caught on camera coming out from behind the counter and punching the elderly customer in the head.

The punch caused the man to fall to the floor and lose consciousness, the authorities said. He was air-lifted to a local hospital, but later died. Kendrick, who was initially booked for aggravated assault charge, has been slapped with a second-degree murder charge.