INGLEWOOD, Calif. (2UG) – A black employee with Inglewood’s SoFi Stadium has been fired after a video went viral showing an overturned food cart on the ground with three shocked children standing behind it. The video doesn’t show the employee turning over the cart.
SoFi Stadium is managed by Hollywood Park Management Company who confirmed the employee who tipped over the food cart was fired.
“We are aware that an incident occurred Saturday night outside of the stadium and are working with law enforcement to look into the matter,” according to a statement released by SoFi Stadium on Tuesday. “The individual involved was employed by a third-party vendor, and we have been advised that he has since been terminated.
“Maintaining a safe environment is our number one priority, and we will continue to regularly evaluate staffing and protocols across all of our vendors to ensure an enjoyable entertainment experience.”
The worker has not been identified, but his picture was captured at the scene and posted on social media, showing him wearing a blue “SoFi Stadium Guest Experience” shirt.
The confrontation occurred Saturday night following a concert by Romeo Santos. Witnesses told reporters the worker was asking vendors to move when the confrontation occurred. One of the vendors said she had left her cart to go to the restroom, and her 12-year-old daughter was watching the cart when the worker overturned it, dumping the food on the ground and leaving the girl with several bruises.
Another vendor, Luis Franco, said the worker also overturned his cart, causing him about a $500 loss due to the food being dumped on the ground.
The worker “said you want to see me mad, you want to see me mad,” Franco told ABC7. “And at that moment he started throwing the carts. Someone could have passed by and could have gotten burned.”
He said the worker then left and went back into the stadium.
The city of Inglewood was scheduled to hold a public hearing today, June 6, during the regular city council meeting to address street vendors and create regulations in accordance with state law but continued the meeting until June 20.
Inglewood is seeking to align its ordinance with Senate Bill 946 which went into effect Jan. 1, 2019, which decriminalized street vending and prohibited local authorities from enforcing laws regulating sidewalk vendors that is inconsistent with state law.
Most recently, Senate Bill 972 went into effect on Jan. 1, 2023, which creates a path for which “compact food operations can be permitted by various Health Departments”.
To read the draft ordinance click here.
City News Service contributed to this report.