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Starbucks has apologized to six officers who were asked by a Tempe, Arizona store employee to either leave or get out of a customer's line of sight on July 4th. The employee allegedly told the officers that a customer 'didn't feel safe' with the police presence.
The Tempe Officers Association Twitter post about the alleged incident sparked backlash on social media with those in support of the officers using #boycottstarbucks.
The Tempe Police Department made a statement on the incident:
"It is our hope that the incident which occurred at Starbucks was an isolated incident between one community member and a single employee rather than an entire organization," a department spokesperson told KNXV. "Starbucks stated they are aware of this incident and advised this interaction is not in line with Starbucks values and will continue to work in strengthening their relationship with law enforcement."
Starbucks Vice President later said in an apology, "What occurred in our store on July 4th is never the experience your officers or any customer should have" with a promise that the necessary steps will be taken to ensure a similar incident won't occur again.
It's not yet certain if the unnamed barista will face disciplinary action.
Read the full story on ABC7.