By JACK BEZANTS, US DEPUTY SPORTS EDITOR
Published: | Updated:
The Los Angeles Dodgers fan and war veteran who was racially abused by a Milwaukee Brewers ‘Karen’ has claimed she should not have lost her job for the sickening taunts.
In a viral video viewed over a million times across social media, the female Milwaukee supporter in question, who has been named online as Shannon Kobylarczyk, is captured threatening to call ICEÂ on Ricardo Fosado – a US citizen and war veteran.
Fosado initially taunts the home fans sat around him while asking: ‘Why’s everybody so quiet? What is this?’
The ‘Karen’ then hits back by saying ‘Let’s call ICE,’ before Fosado urges her to do so and fumes: ‘I’m a US citizen, war veteran baby girl. Two wars. ICE can not do anything to me.’ She also tries to slap his phone away and calls him a ‘p***y’.
Kobylarczyk has since been fired by her employers ManPowerGroup and resigned from her role on the board of directors at Make-A-Wish Wisconsin. But according to Fosado, that punishment is too far.
He told WDJT-TV in Milwaukee: ‘I don’t think that she should have got fired, it’s my opinion.
The Milwaukee Brewers ‘Karen’ and Dodgers fan she abused have both received stadium bans
Ricardo Fosado – a US citizen and war veteran – was the victim of a racist rant in Milwaukee
‘I think everybody deserves second chances. I think everybody makes mistakes. Nobody got hurt.’
Both Fosado and Kobylarczyk have since been banned from the Milwaukee Brewers’ stadium.
The incident occured during Dodgers’ 5-1 win in the MLB playoffs last week.
A gloating Fosado can initially be heard saying to the home fans around him in the stands: ‘Why’s everybody so quiet? What is this?’
His remark appeared to clearly irk the ‘Brewers Karen’, who fired back with a jibe about Donald Trump’s immigration agents, saying: ‘Let’s call ICE.’
Fosado replied: ‘Call ICE! Call ICE! I’m a US citizen, war veteran baby girl. Two wars. ICE can not do anything to me.’ At one stage of the video she seemingly tried to slap Fosado’s phone out of his hand while also calling him a ‘p***y’.
Fosado, who has worked as a chief executive for general contractor company Foxtrot Construction, told Fox 11 that he and a friend were ejected from American Family Field over the dispute, meaning they missed the last three innings of the game.
He told Fox 11 at the time that Kobylarczyk ‘let out her true colors’ but his view now seems to have shifted.
The ‘Brewers Karen,’ identified as Shannon Kobylarczyk, has since been fired
The Brewers have banned both fans from returning to their American Family Field ballpark
Fosado said the Brewers escorted him out of the stadium without explaining why.
‘[My friend] asked, “Why am I getting kicked out? What did my friend do? Why are we getting escorted out?” And the only reason they gave anybody is because we’re Dodger fans,’ Fosado said.
But the team later said in a statement:Â ‘In this instance, the Milwaukee Police Department dealt with the individual who was ejected for actions apart from the events depicted in this video, including disorderly conduct and public intoxication.
‘Separately, video shows that the other individual involved in the argument became physical in the course of her interactions with the person who was ejected.
‘For these reasons and in accordance with our Guest Code of Conduct specific to ejections and physical confrontations, both fans are being notified that they are not allowed to return to the ballpark for future events.’
On Friday night, the Dodgers thrashed the Brewers 5-1 once again, sweeping the Milwaukee team to seal their return to the World Series.
The latest viral bust-up from a baseball game comes a month after the infamous ‘Phillies Karen’ was filmed arguing with a fellow supporter over a home ball run.
She was booed out of the Phillies-Marlins game on September 5 and slammed on social media for taking the ball from a father who had retrieved it for his young son.
But unlike Kobylarczyk, she has managed to remain anonymous despite a blistering online backlash against her.