A surveillance video has surfaced, capturing the intense exchange between a Cuban store owner in Hialeah and Venezuelan actress and model Norkys Batista along with her family. The footage, shared widely on the Instagram account Only in Dade, reveals the store owner asking patrons to briefly step outside, promising to call them back in shortly.
“Young man, young man, I’m telling you again, I’ve asked you to wait outside,” the Cuban directed at the actress's husband, who stood a short distance away as she was at the counter finalizing a car rental. Batista, visibly upset, responded, “No, no, he is my husband and he is with me.” The store owner then reacted by asking them to leave.
“No ma'am, look, you're not renting anything, you can leave,” he stated, prompting Batista's husband to angrily retort, “You’re nothing but a jerk.” Despite Batista's pleas that they needed the vehicle, the Cuban persisted in ejecting them from his store. The surveillance footage precedes another recording, shot by the involved parties at the store's entrance, where the owner continues to tell them to leave.
“Get out of Hialeah, you worthless Venezuelans. All of you leave. This is my property,” he shouted at Batista, her husband, her brother, and her son.
The incident has sparked a heated debate in the comments section on Only in Dade, with over three thousand comments. Opinions are divided between those who feel the Cuban was within his rights as a business owner and those who believe his behavior was excessive. Some label the incident as a "performance" orchestrated by the Venezuelan actress, who claimed the store owner had pushed her brother.
Public Reaction to Hialeah Incident
What triggered the confrontation in the Hialeah store?
The confrontation began when the Cuban store owner asked Norkys Batista's husband to wait outside, leading to a heated exchange when the actress insisted her husband was with her.
How have people reacted to the video on social media?
The video has prompted a divided response, with some supporting the store owner's rights and others criticizing his actions as overly harsh.
What did Norkys Batista claim happened during the incident?
Norkys Batista claimed that during the altercation, the store owner pushed her brother, adding to the tensions of the incident.