BOCA RATON, Fla. – A woman in Boca Raton is facing some serious charges after allegedly slapping a child and calling him a racial slur.
Her name is Haley Erin Zager.
Officers say she was in a go-kart at Boomers in Boca Raton Saturday when she admittedly struck an 11-year-old boy in the face, and police say she called him the n-word.
Zager, who is 30 years old, claims she had come to a complete stop in her go-kart when she was struck from behind by the child in another go-kart.
The grown woman says she was angry when the 11-year-old boy didn’t apologize.
The police report saying quote "At the conclusion of the go-kart ride, Zager got out of her go-kart and slapped him in the face."
One witness telling police she, "...slapped him across the left side of his face with an open palm."
The police report says her bad behavior didn’t end there, instead turned racist.
Witnesses told detectives Zager used racial slurs, saying quote: "After the incident, Zager stated to a Boomers employee, 'That [expletive] n***** hit me in the back.'"
Patrons told police Zager’s go-kart was hit following a chain reaction of go-karts bumping into each other on the track.
The police report says the child left with a swollen face and an ice pack.
Zager is charged with child abuse and because of her use of racial slurs the charge has been upgrade to a second-degree felony.
Police also said they found an Altoids container in her underwear, filled with pills. For that, she was charged with illegal possession of prescription drugs.
Local 10 News reached out to Boomers in regard to the incident, and received the following statement:
At Boomers parks, we value being a family fun center inclusive to guests of all backgrounds. We are saddened that one of our guests did not possess these same values and we do not condone physical or verbal abuse amongst guests. We are appreciative of our staff and the police and fire rescue officers who acted swiftly to diffuse the situation.
We have reached out to the child and his family to invite them back to the park for the day on us so we can ensure they have the Boomers experience we aim to provide all of our guests with.