A road rage dispute in Santa Clarita has drawn widespread attention after video surfaced showing a woman directing racist remarks at an Asian neighbor during the confrontation.
The older woman, quickly labeled a “Karen” by users online, is heard leaning on racist stereotypes and telling the other driver — who said she also lives in the neighborhood near Sheffield and Oxford streets — to leave the country.
“Why don’t you go back to Asia? Go back to Asia and ride a rickshaw,” the woman, whom social media users have identified as Elaine LaForge, says in the clip.
The driver recording the encounter does not appear on camera, but she said the incident began as she was heading home, when the other motorist sped past her and erupted into a profanity-laced tirade.
She later sent the footage to Instagram creator Michael McWhorter, who has more than 2 million followers and is known for sharing viral videos of neighborhood disputes and public confrontations.
“So apparently the lady thought I was following her after I thought about it. She was behind me when we exited. Somewhere along the way, she got in front of me and she literally drove to my house. She started to get crazy and she said I was following her,” the woman wrote in a message to the account.
“I passed my house because I knew she was mad because she kept doing weird things, like braking in the middle of the street. I didn’t want her to know where I lived, so I just kept driving,” she added.
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The woman also alleged that LaForge had used her fingers to mock “Asian eyes” before she started recording. In the video, she can be heard telling LaForge, “I live in this neighborhood. I have a picture of your license plate.”
Santa Clarita residents and community members expressed outrage online, including McWhorter.
“No. No. Unacceptable. Not OK. We’re not doing this,” he said.
Another woman, who identified the “Karen” as LaForge, said she hopes her family sees the video and gets her “some help” or “maybe talks to her.”
“Santa Clarita is the third largest city in LA County. We are growing. We are way more diverse than we have ever been. It’s fantastic. We’ve got great schools. People want to move here. But when they see stuff like what she says nationally, it’s not so great,” she said.
The woman, who runs the Instagram account RiseUpSCV, said the community needs to do better.
“Let’s be better. Let’s improve our community. Let’s learn what racism really does, and be better people,” she said.
