A 54-year-old man from Orange County has been taken into custody following the emergence of a video that allegedly depicts him using hateful and racist language towards a group of Hispanic adults at a local business.
The video, accumulating close to 15,000 views on an Instagram account, shows a man identified by police as Eric Walter Ramminger from Lake Forest, unleashing a barrage of graphic insults and obscenities at a female employee of the business on May 30.
“In America, we do not like you, okay? We do not like you!” he’s seen yelling while violently pounding on the shop’s window.
A 54-year-old man, seemingly under the influence, is observed making threats towards the woman and her patrons.
“You think you’re safe, but you’re not going to be safe for soon,” he says. “You might get away with this one, but you’re going to have a f*** problem.”
He goes on to call the woman a “piece of s*” and an “a**hole” before saying, “Listen, I will blast your face off,” while encouraging the woman to come outside, presumably to fight him.
A woman appears to be attempting to usher Ramminger out, skillfully avoiding one of his strikes while countering with her own. This action seems to provoke one of the men present, who rises, likely intending to assist her.
The outcome of the situation remains uncertain.
A man sharing an Instagram video with his followers recounted that the woman contacted the authorities, who took hours to arrive, showing up only after “the danger had passed.”
Officials at the Orange County Sheriff’s Department have refuted that assertion in a recent statement.
“We received a call about a man yelling at a business near Ridge Route and Lake Forest drives at 6:47 p.m. on Friday, May 30,” the release states. “With the information provided to dispatch, the call was assigned as a low-priority call. The deputies responded to the call and arrived at the business in less than 30 minutes.”
Authorities reported that a case was filed and handed over to detectives, who apprehended Ramminger on Wednesday at approximately 2:30 p.m. on allegations of trespassing, assault and battery, making criminal threats, and offenses associated with hate crimes.
If you saw the event unfold or have any details regarding the inquiry, please reach out to OCSD at 949-770-6011.
