A woman held up an influencer’s assistant’s sunglasses and asked ‘You want this?’ outside a San Francisco cafe, and police say they were damaged

Food influencer Allie Tong asked people to stop harassing a couple after a confrontation outside a San Francisco cafe went viral and social media users identified the pair. Tong, who runs the allie.eats Instagram account, had originally posted the footage to help identify them.

As reported by Dexerto, a follow-up post showed her asking viewers not to dox or harass the couple. The incident unfolded on Oct. 27, when Tong and her assistant were filming a promotional video outside Wrecking Ball Coffee.

As they were packing up, a man began insulting them, and Tong went back to ask him what he had said. Her assistant started recording because, as Tong put it, he was being “verbally abusive.” The man repeated his insult, muttering “you guys are so f—ing stupid,” even after Tong mentioned they were supporting a small local business.

What started as an insult quickly escalated on camera

The video footage shows the woman accompanying the man appearing to lunge toward the assistant, seemingly trying to grab at her phone and knock the camera away. The assistant can be heard saying, “Don’t touch me!” as the woman moved toward her. She backed away, coffee in hand, trying to explain, “I was just filming because he was making us feel uncomfortable,” and repeatedly asked the woman to get off of her.

Tong claimed the woman scratched her assistant on the chest and then demanded that they delete the footage. Tong also said the woman refused to return the assistant’s sunglasses.

As the couple appeared to leave the scene, the woman was seen holding the assistant’s sunglasses and asking, “You want this?” The man uttered another insult while walking by, and the woman challenged them, saying, “Call the police. Let’s call the police right now.”

In a later update, Tong said the assistant did get her sunglasses back after the woman threw them on the ground. The San Francisco Police Department confirmed that a report was filed on Oct. 28, alleging battery and vandalism in connection with the incident.

Police stated that the victim’s sunglasses were damaged during the altercation, and no arrests have been made. Wrecking Ball Coffee subsequently banned the couple from its premises.

The clip has drawn tens of thousands of views. Filming in public has sparked heated reactions before, as a woman confronting an influencer over photos showed.

Co-owner Joey Cannata said an employee witnessed part of the confrontation and provided an account consistent with what was seen in the video. Cannata added that the cafe is “committed to providing a safe, friendly and welcoming environment for everyone” and takes that responsibility seriously.

The couple’s side of the story could not be verified, and they have not been publicly identified by police.