A Florida woman is facing felony child abuse charges after police say she slapped an 11-year-old Black boy and called him a racial slur. According to the South Florida SunSentinel, the incident happened on Saturday at an amusement park in Florida. Employees say the woman reacted after the young boy bumped her on a go-kart track.
Haley Erin Zager was reportedly at the end of her race and was stopped at the finish of the track. As she sat idle, Zager claims the young boy rear-ended her “at full speed.” She became enraged when the child did not apologize. According to reports, the 30-year-old proceeded to get out of her car and slap him in the face. Zager told police it was a “tap.”
In addition to the physical assault, witnesses at the Boomers in Boca Raton say Zager told employees, “that f–king n—-r hit me in the back.” As she slapped the the young boy with an open palm, she said something similar, yelling out “The n—-r hit me. The n—-r hit me.”
The child’s father told police that his son did not intentionally hit Zager. He, instead, was in a row of carts that got rammed. It caused the 11-year-old to bump the Lantana resident who was in front of him. When the child spoke to police, he said he did not hear what Zager said when she assaulted him, as he was reeling from the shock of her actions.
Paramedics tended to the child, whose left side of his face was swollen from Zager’s slap. She was arrested for child abuse. During a search from a female officer, Zager was also found to be in possession of several prescription pills. After authorities discovered them in her underwear, they also charged Zager with four counts of drug possession.
This is not the first time Zager has faced felony charges. The SunSentinel reports that the Florida woman has another aggravated domestic battery case on her record, stemming from a 2018 incident. Zager was released on her own recognizance on Monday.