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Husband of Arizona woman slapped during racist rant says wife struggles with mental illness

The New York Daily News - 6/10/2020

The husband of an Arizona woman who was slapped in the face during a hateful harangue said his wife struggles with mental illness, according to a local report.

Bob Harrian, the husband of Tamara Harrian, told KSAZ-TV that his wife’s behavior was “hateful” when she told a women to “go back to Mexico” at a Phoenix gas station.

Offering his message to Karina Rodriguez, the woman on the receiving end of the rant, Harrian told the TV station, “I’m sorry for what she said. It was very hateful. It was -- it’s indefensible, but I just have to tell you this: It’s her mental illness.”

Bob Harrian said he has tried to get his wife psychological help.

In the gas station clip, Tamara Harrian culminates her racist rant by reaching to grab Rodriguez, who slaps her in the face. The video has gone viral.

In a Spanish interview with Telemundo, Rodriguez said the incident “hurt my heart a lot.”

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