Racial Slurs Lead To Fight In Taco Bell Line

A North Vernon woman is in jail accused of calling a fellow customer a "towel head" and pulling a 14-year-old bi-racial girl's braids.

Amber M. Caffee. Photo by Dearborn County Sheriff's Office.

(Aurora, Ind.) – After allegedly calling a fellow customer in line at a fast food restaurant a “towel head,” police say a woman allegedly started a fight with another customer and her 14-year-old bi-racial daughter.

The situation unfolded inside the Taco Bell on Green Boulevard in Aurora around 8:00 p.m. Thursday, August 15, according to a court affidavit submitted by the Aurora Police Department.

Officers were called to the restaurant for a report of a fight. They arrived to find Amber M. Caffee, 35, of North Vernon, driving a vehicle in the restaurant parking lot. Once stopped, officers approached and noticed the smell of alcohol on Caffee.

Police viewed the restaurant’s surveillance video and spoke with witnesses and the others involved in the fight.

It was determined that Caffee allegedly called a male customer of middle eastern descent a “towel head,” a racial slur. A witness told officers Caffee told the man that he “needed to go back to his country or learn how to speak English better.”

As Caffee allegedly made several more racial remarks, a woman spoke up and asked Caffee not to speak like that because she did not want her 14-year-old bi-racial daughter with her to hear such comments.

The woman told police that Caffee then responded with sexual and racial comments about her daughter.

Video allegedly showed Caffee swatting at the female customer. She then used both hands to reach out at the 14-year-old and grab and pull her hair braids. Caffee also threw a drink at the woman and her daughter, video showed.

Officers noted that Caffee had a swollen eye and a cut on her lip. She told police that the woman had struck her in the face and mouth during the altercation.

Caffee was arrested and charged with Battery (level 6 felony), Public Intoxication (class B misdemeanor) and Disorderly Conduct (class B misdemeanor). She is held in jail at the Dearborn County Law Enforcement Center Friday morning awaiting her initial appearance in court.