A purple-haired Instacart driver in Minnesota allegedly drove her car over an elderly couple’s groceries after delivering them and left an expletive-laden note after seeing their sign thanking the police last week, according to law enforcement.
The couple said they had placed an order for delivery from a local Cub Foods in Coon Rapids, a suburb north of Minneapolis, to be delivered on Monday of last week, the Blaine Police Department said.
Police said the residents came outside because they were concerned the Instacart driver would get stuck in their snowy driveway, but when they came out, she yelled at them.
The suspect, Tara Olivia Plum, 36, allegedly yelled at the couple to check inside of the Christmas wreath on their front door. There they found a vulgar note scrawled on a receipt.
“Instacart doesn’t pay employees. Sry [sorry] find another slave,” the purple-haired suspect allegedly wrote on the receipt, according to a photo of the message, which also featured the phrases “f*** the police” and “racist pigs.”
She also ran over about $50 in groceries she had delivered, the couple said.
“They also reported the driver was driving back and forth in the driveway. … After the delivery driver left they found that their groceries had been run over in the driveway,” police said in a press release on the incident.
Police posted a photo of the destroyed groceries to Facebook. Coffee creamer, bananas, and soda appear to be included in the pile of ruined food.
Plum lashed out at the couple over their sign reading “Thank you Blaine P.D,” Police Chief Brian Podany said.
The sign also included a heart with the “Thin Blue Line” flag, which signifies support for the police.
Instacart said Plum has since been fired as an Instacart driver. The delivery service also said it refunded the couple for their grocery order.
“We’re appalled by the unacceptable actions of this shopper, who has been removed from the Instacart platform as a result,” Instacart said in a statement. “We’ve been in direct contact with the customers to refund their order and provide additional resources. We’ll continue to provide support to the impacted customers and will also work directly with local law enforcement on any investigations into this matter.”
Amber Gray, who appears to be someone close with the couple, started a GoFundMe for their grocery bills.
“Tara probably doesn’t know how carefully those $50 in groceries were budgeted for. Or how devastating the recent medical diagnosis has been. Or how scared and vulnerable her vile act of hatred made them feel,” Gray wrote.
The fundraiser raised nearly $14,000 before the family closed the page, saying they are “humbled by the overwhelming support and generosity” and “no longer feel comfortable accepting more donations.”
“We’re law enforcement. We get not everybody likes us, we understand that. But don’t take that out on innocent people out there, especially people who are trying to contribute to this person’s livelihood,” Podany said.