EDMONDS, Wash. — Authorities in Snohomish County say a 59-year-old Edmonds woman was arrested after she was accused of launching into a racist tirade inside a McDonald’s on Highway 99 in Edmonds on Friday. She’s accused of telling a family that they didn’t belong in Edmonds.
Edmonds police responded when a witness called 911. The family of five included a 15-year-old girl and her younger brother who spoke to KIRO 7.
Karla Cerbin-Cazarin from Edmonds feels comfortable speaking both Spanish and English. The incident has forced her to rethink some of her feelings. “I just don't feel comfortable speaking my own language in this country anymore.”
Cerbin-Cazarin said her family was speaking Spanish inside the McDonald's when the woman started yelling at them. A witness also told police the woman was yelling racist epithets at the family, telling them to "get out of our country" and “if you don't speak English, you shouldn't be here."
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Witnesses also said the woman left the restaurant, opened the door of an empty car in the parking lot thinking it was Cerbin-Cazarin's family's car and spit inside of it. Cerbin-Cazarin said her family tried to answer the woman calmly only to be met with repeated insults. “Seeing my family go through that, I felt really angry, really disgusted at what she did.”
Rose Emmons said she was working at a nearby shop when they noticed the activity at the McDonald’s. “I just saw the police officer,” she said. Other witnesses said they were surprised that an allegation of hate speech drew out police, including Sara Foster who works at a coffee shop next to the McDonald’s. “Oh wow! that's a little surprising I wasn't expecting that.”
Edmonds police say they traced the license plate of the suspect's car and arrested her in downtown Edmonds the same day.
For Cerbin-Cazarin, the tirade felt like a threat against her family, including her little brother. Cerbin-Cazarin translated her family's story for police and admits that her family is reeling despite the arrest, especially her little brother. “I was crying with him. He just doesn't feel right. He doesn't want to speak his own language anymore.”
Cerbin-Cazarin said a police officer helped clean the spit out of the car. She also said this is the first time she has experienced hate like this.
Snohomish County Jail records say the suspect posted bond the same day she was arrested. She has not yet been charged.