A 21-year-year-old woman faces hate-crime charges after police said she repeatedly spit at a Walmart customer who told her she entered the wrong door and later proclaimed that “Americans are pushing us around.”
Nuha Mohammed Al-Doaifi, a Saudi Arabian national, faces a charge of battery with a hate-crime enhancement after Palm Bay police were called at about 1 p.m. Sunday to the Walmart store at 1040 Malabar Road to investigate reports of a disturbance.
The hate-crime enhancement means that the battery charge could be elevated to a felony.
Police said the incident started when Al-Doaifi attempted to roll a shopping cart into the store and struck the exit door.
A customer told her she was using the wrong door, prompting Al-Doaifi to spit in the person’s face before turning and walking on into the store to go shopping, police said.
“Her actions were directed at random people based on their ethnicity and that’s according to her own statement,” Yvonne Martinez, spokeswoman said.
Witnesses said Al-Doaifi, accompanied by her 2-year-old son, also spit at another customer who apparently got to close to her.
The spittle missed in that case, police said.
Workers at the store were notified and called police.
Several patrol officers approached Al-Doaifi to talk in the store and asked her why she spat at customers.
“Americans are pushing us around,” Al-Doaifi stated before officers took her into custody, according to reports.
She was arrested and booked into the Brevard County Detention Center in Sharpes where she remains jailed today.
“She’s also had an incident with one of her Florida Tech professors,” Martinez said.
“She also spit at the professor. They have initiated procedures to have her sent back to Saudi Arabia.”