An Instacart driver in Minnesota ran over an elderly couple’s groceries after she delivered them and called police “racist pigs” on the receipt — because she saw a Blue Lives Matter flag in their driveway, police said.
The residents said they placed an order from a local Cub Foods on Dec. 6 and requested delivery via the Instacart delivery service, the Blaine Police Department said in a statement.
They stepped outside to meet the driver because they were worried the woman — identified as 36-year-old Tara Olivia Plum — might get stuck in their snowbound driveway, police said.
But rather than thanking the couple, the purple-haired suspect yelled at them to check the Christmas wreath on their front door, where they discovered the offensive holiday message about law enforcement scrawled on their order receipt, police said.
“Instacart doesn’t pay employees. Sry [sorry] find another slave,” the driver allegedly wrote on the receipt, which also included the words “police pigs,” the Star Tribune reported.
The shocked residents then realized that their $50 in groceries also had been run over.
Police Chief Brian Podany said Plum was reacting to the couple’s sign that read, “Thank you Blaine P.D,” NBC News reported.
The letter O was replaced with a heart filled with the “Thin Blue Line” flag, which some view as a sign of support for police while others see it as a symbol of white supremacy.
Plum, of Coon Rapids, was cited for criminal damage to property. If found guilty, she could face up to 90 days in the slammer, said police spokesman Capt. Mark Boerboom.
He said that while the incident remains under investigation, it does not meet the standards of a hate crime.
“We would have to prove the act was committed based on the victim’s perceived race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, disability, age or national origin,” Boerboom said, the Star Tribune said.
Instacart has issued the couple a full refund.
“We’re appalled by the unacceptable actions of this shopper, who has been removed from the Instacart platform as a result. We’ve been in direct contact with the customers to refund their order and provide additional resources,” the company told KARE 11 in a statement.
“We’ll continue to provide support to the impacted customers and will also work directly with local law enforcement on any investigations into this matter,” it added.
Amber Gray, who said she is a relative of the couple, said in a GoFundMe post for them that “supporting law enforcement doesn’t make you racist. And it absolutely doesn’t give anyone the right to destroy your things or shatter your sense of safety,” NBC News reported.
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