https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9qjhyDvz9AQualia Coffee assistant manager Allie Viall didn’t think she would take two showers yesterday. But then a customer who had previously been banned from the Petworth coffee shop for calling Viall a “hoe” took a big drink of water and spit it all over her face. Catch it at the 1:20 mark in the video above provided by Qualia Coffee and available on their Facebook page.
“One of my coworkers to my left and a customer on the other side of the bar got some spray as well, but it was definitely directed at me,” Viall says. “I kind of saw it coming. I said to him, ‘Sorry dude, there are repercussions for your actions.’ That was the last thing I said to him. Then he spit and ran out.”
Viall immediately called the police, and an investigation is ongoing. “At this time, there are no arrests associated with this incident,” MPD told City Paper in an email.
But when Qualia Coffee posted the video to its Facebook page, it was like turning on a faucet. D.C. bar and restaurant employees were able to quickly identify the spitter and share war stories of their own. According to comments on the post, the individual has allegedly been tormenting female service industry workers in Columbia Heights, Park View, and other neighborhoods.
“It seems to be a lot of women have bad interactions with him,” says Peyton Sherwood, who is a co-owner of several bars in D.C. including The Midlands. “He was kicked out of Kangaroo Boxing Club and just about everything on 11th Street [NW].” (Sherwood was a partner in Kangaroo Boxing Club.)
On Facebook, Sherwood pointed out that the suspect has quite the nickname—Baby Dick. “Why? Because he was kicked out of Meridian Pint one day for being super drunk and an asshole,” he writes. “Once they finally got him outside past their patio he decided to pull his pants down and show his junk. Some woman yelled out, “Oh you’ve got a baby dick!” and the whole patio started chanting ‘baby dick’ over and over until he ran away.”
Meridian Pint general manager Drew Swift confirms the incident and says it took place in 2011 or 2012. “The chant was really loud by the time he left and our staff will not call him anything but Baby Dick so he stopped coming in,” Swift says. “We win?”
“You see him coming and you’re like, god damn it,” Sherwood continues. “This past summer I was managing The Midlands and I looked up and he was in the bar with a beer and I was like, ‘Oh crap.’”
Sherwood also says the spitter is known to shove women walking down the sidewalk. “He’s very dangerous,” he says. “I would love to never see this guy on the streets of D.C. again. He probably needs some mental assistance.”
Viall echoes Sherwoods’ concerns. “It would be nice if he could get some help.” She encourages anyone who recognizes the suspect from the video call 911.