Krishnan Jayaraman, the victim of the abuse, began recording a man, identified as Punjabi-American Tejinder Singh, who was subjecting him to racially charged verbal abuse. It is implied that the onslaught began after Jayaraman ordered a bean burrito, a popular Taco Bell item used as a substitute for meat-based meals.

Trigger Warning: Video contains abuse. Viewer discretion is advised.

In response, the man began swearing at Jayaraman, saying that he would eat beef in front of the victim. He also implied that Jayaraman wanted to eat cow feces instead. He said:

He continued:

When placing his order, the suspect pointedly requested beef-based meals from the Taco bell employees. He said:

Although Jayaraman did not respond, the man continued to racially abuse him even after placing the order. He proceeded to insult Jayaraman for the way he dressed. He said:

The man continued to pace back and forth between the counter, the fountain-drink machine, and a table behind Jayaraman, even though Jayaraman did not respond to the heckling.

He said:

He continued:

The rant ended after 8 minutes, when the authorities reached Taco Bell. The Fremont Police Department is investigating the incident.

The investigation into the Taco Bell racism incident

In an interview with ABC San Francisco, Jayaraman speculated that Singh himself may have been of South Asian descent, as he knew certain Punjabi words and displayed a tattoo of a Sikh symbol on his arm.

Seeing these indications, as well as the fact that the tattoo of the Sikh symbol was adorned with images of assault rifles, Jayaraman speculated that the suspect behind the Taco Bell incident may have been a sympathizer of the Khalistan movement, a Sikh radical group that aims to create an independent nation carved out of the North Indian state of Punjab.

In an official statement, the Fremont Police Department wrote that they are actively investigating the incident as a hate crime.

Authorities said:

He continued:

Tejinder Singh has been charged in relation to the Taco Bell incident with hate crimes in violation of civil rights.

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