NBC

Naperville Gas Station Clerk Fired After Altercation With Hispanic Customers

Carolina Buitron said she her family were victims of discrimination when they stopped at the gas station for chips

An employee at a Naperville, Illinois, gas station has been fired after video showing a confrontation between the cashier and group of Hispanic customers went viral on social media.

The general counsel for the parent company of Bucky's Mobil said the man seen telling a group of Hispanic customers that "ICE will come" and they "have no rights" is "no longer employed by our company." 

"Clearly there was an altercation and he didn’t react well," Steve Kalhorn told NBC 5. "And we don’t treat customers that way, that’s why he’s no longer an employee." 

Kalhorn acknowledged surveillance video did capture the altercation, but said cameras only showed the back of the employee and did not capture what he said clearly. 

"I looked at the video and even though I can't make out everything that’s said, I can see that there’s animation going on and yelling and that’s just not acceptable behavior for our organization," he said. 

Carolina Buitron said she and her family, some of whom were visiting from Mexico, were victims of discrimination when they stopped at the west suburban gas station for chips. The family said they were speaking Spanish when the cashier asked them to leave because they were “illegals.”

"He started asking about my cousins, if they were illegal, family or friends, are they adopted," Buitron said, noting that she then pulled out her cell phone and started recording. 

Video footage of the cashier was posted to social media and has since been viewed more than 400,000 times. Though the video does not show the cashier calling the family “illegals” or refusing service, it shows him asking the group if they are citizens and telling them “ICE will come.”

A second video shows the cashier and another customer telling the group “you have no rights.”

"They got into an argument and things were said that shouldn’t be said," Kalhorn said.

Mobil did not immediately respond to NBC Chicago's and Telemundo Chicago’s requests for comment. 

An employee has been suspended from a Naperville gas station after video showing a confrontation between a cashier and group of Hispanic women went viral on social media.

"The comments of this associate are not reflective of the core values of Bucky's Convenience Stores," Kalhorn said in a statement Wednesday. "We are aware of the situation and are managing this personnel issue. We take this matter seriously and strive to ensure that all customers are treated with respect."

Naperville Mayor Steve Chirico said area police have reviewed the video and are "looking into it." 

"Let me be abundantly clear: hate has no home here in Naperville. Quite frankly, this type of behavior has no place in society at large," he wrote on Facebook Wednesday. "Our city prides itself on being open and inclusive to all. Civility towards each other is an important component of being a global citizen, and I urge everyone in our community to showcase the kindness, compassion, and good decorum that our residents are known for and that our world needs more of." 

Naperville police confirmed they "reviewed the social media video."

"We will continue to investigate the matter as well as monitor any related activities occurring in Naperville," the department said in a statement. 

Separate groups stood outside the gas station on Washington Street Wednesday afternoon, some holding signs that read “Build the Wall” and others that read “boycott racism.”

Congressman Raja Kristhnamoorthi addressed the footage Wednesday, telling MSNBC "this is the type of language the president propels and normalizes and it’s unacceptable." 

Earlier this week, the Democratic-led U.S. House voted to condemn President Donald Trump's "racist comments" against four congresswomen of color, who he tweeted should "go back" to their home countries. The president later insisted he hasn't "a racist bone in my body" and that his tweets were "NOT racist."  

Additional protests were planned for Thursday afternoon outside the gas station. The family said they're asking for an apology from the clerk. 

Contact Us