Man Arrested After Racist Rant Over Smoothie, Hurling Drink at Employees

A Connecticut broker has been arrested and fired from his position at a local Merrill Lynch branch after unleashing a tirade at a smoothie store, according to police and footage of the incident circulating on social media. James Iannazzo, 48, was charged with intimidation based on bias, breach of peace, and criminal trespass after the Saturday disturbance. Authorities said Iannazzo purchased a smoothie from a Robeks store without incident, only to return in less than an hour, furious over an allergic reaction his child had just had. The child was taken to and treated at a local hospital after Iannazzo called 911, police said. Convinced that a store worker had put peanuts in his smoothie, Iannazzo launched into a tirade, swearing and calling one employee an “immigrant loser” in a video of the event. The man also chucked a drink at one employee, refused to leave, and tried to get behind the store’s counter through a locked door. Workers later told the police that Iannazzo had only asked that peanut butter be left out of the drink, without mentioning an allergy, according to NBC New York.