'Twisted Tea' Video Viewed Over 1 Million Times, Inspires Wave of Memes

Viral video of a racist white man being smacked in the head with a can of tea at an Ohio convenience store has spawned an array of online jokes and memes.

Footage of the incident, which is said to have taken place at a Circle K store on Broad Street in Elyria, has been viewed nearly two million times since it emerged on Christmas Eve.

The altercation, first shared to Reddit alongside the title "Drunk guy yells N Word and gets SMACKED with Twisted Tea Can," shows two men embroiled in an exchange at the register.

The two-minute clip begins with a white man hurling obscenities at a Black man, threatening to perform a sex act on his mother as both men wait in line.

"Fuck my momma? Fuck your momma, [n-word]," the seemingly inebriated white man says with beers in hand.

Slurring his words, the man continues to say he lives about "two blocks away," adding "And you know what's crazy? Imma walk to you. Right to my house for you. On God."

As the Black man gathers his shopping bag to leave the store, the white man once again addresses him, saying: "I'm not trying to disrespect you bro, I'm not."

"Then stop saying it," the Black man responds, seemingly in reference to the racial slurs.

"I'm gonna say [n-word] all day, everyday. Are you kidding me? Where you from [n-word]? Where you from? Where you from?" the white man persists.

When the Black man says he's from the area, the white man doesn't believe it. "You from here?" he questions. "Get the fuck outta here, you a clown, [n-word]."

At this point, the Black man picks up a can of Twisted Tea.

"What? You gonna smack me with that?" the white man asks. "Smack me. Smack me, [n-word]!"

After momentarily dropping the can on the floor, the Black man hurls the beverage across the white man's face and sends him reeling to the ground.

"Yeah, you got yours buddy," a woman's voice can be heard behind the camera.

The two men brawl on the floor before the Black man sends several punches to the other man's head.

"Call me another fucking [n-word]," he yells. "I asked you not to call me [n-word]."

The video, which is just under two minutes long, appears to have been filmed by a third customer also waiting in line.

On Twitter, a clip of the same altercation has been viewed more than 1.8 million times.

Many praised the actions of the unidentified Black man, while others condemned the use of violence.

"I hope twisted tea guy in Elyria runs for Ohio governor in 2022," one viewer joked as another added, "I hope this guy does Twisted Tea commercials for life."

"My fav part is how nobody tried to intervene bc they knew the idiot was getting what he deserved," one person observed.

"What's crazy is the black dude gave him a lot of chances, had a lot of patience, and even let him off really easy. Much respect for his self-control," one man said.

"Incredible restraint. Massive respect," another agreed.

Other more creative responses included video mash-ups to music and pop culture references.

"When the cop asks me if I have any weapons in my car," one man joked alongside a snap of a Twisted Tea can in his car glove box.

"I'm ready for the purge," one woman wrote alongside a vintage film snap.

Others praised the camerawork and the person behind the lens of the encounter.

"That girl with that camerawork is the real MVP," one said. "Caught everything without even shaking the camera a little bit."

The two men in the video have yet to be identified and no charges are believed to have been made.

"It has obviously gone viral on the internet, but to my knowledge it was never called in or reported," Elyria Police Lieutenant Jame Welsh told the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram.

Newsweek has contacted the Elyria Police Department for comment.