Tamara Harrian’s husband blames mental illness for ‘indefensible’ Arizona attack
The lawyer husband of the Arizona “Karen” who was slapped by a Native American whom she told to “go back to Mexico” has tearfully apologized for the “indefensible” slur — blaming it on mental illness.
“Karina, I don’t know what to say. I’m just so sorry,” Bob Harrian told Fox 10 Phoenix in a direct appeal to Karina Rodriguez, the woman who slapped his wife during the ugly confrontation caught in a now-viral video.
“I’m just so sorry that this happened. You never walked into that store thinking something like this was going to happen,” he said, breaking into sobs Monday as he sought help for his wife’s mental health problems.
“I understand, and I’m sorry. I’m sorry for what she said. It was very hateful. It was — it’s indefensible,” he told Fox 10.
“But I just have to tell you this: It’s her mental illness. A year ago, she would … never have even thought of that,” he insisted of his wife, who had falsely claimed to be the store manager during the fight.
The lawyer was so concerned for his wife that he called out a crisis management team that interviewed her for more than an hour, he told the station, which said it confirmed the visit.
His wife had started showing alarming signs of paranoia — making up wild stories — following a break-in at their home last year, he said.
He hopes it may be the wake-up call to get help for his wife.
“This is your spouse you have known and loved for 30 years and she is starting to slip away. And you are trying to get her help but you can’t get her help because she doesn’t think there is anything wrong with her,” he told 12 News in a separate interview.
Harrian also returned to the Phoenix Shell station where the confrontation happened to apologize to staff and customers — and told Fox 10 he has no plans to sue Rodriguez for the slap.
The “Karen” moniker is social media shorthand for white women who call the cops on black people over harmless incidents.
The incident comes nearly two weeks after the “Central Park Karen” fiasco — in which Amy Cooper called the police on black birdwatcher Christian Cooper after he asked her to leash her dog.
via: https://nypost.com/2020/06/09/tamara-harrians-husband-blames-mental-illness-for-arizona-incident/
Photo Credit: nypost.com