Strava, the popular fitness tracking application, has terminated an employee identified as Shireen Afkari following her arrest after a widely circulated video depicted her violently assaulting staff at a San Francisco restaurant. The incident, which garnered significant attention on social media platforms, occurred at Hazie’s, an upscale eatery in the city’s Hayes Valley district. Afkari, formerly a senior manager of growth marketing and retention at Strava, according to her now-deleted LinkedIn profile, was detained on charges of public intoxication.

In a statement released on Instagram, Strava acknowledged the situation, expressing strong disapproval of the conduct. “We are aware of an employee who exhibited extremely concerning off-hours behavior,” the company stated. “We don’t condone violence of any kind and this does not reflect the standards we expect of our team.” The company confirmed its decision to end the individual’s employment on the Monday following the incident.

The altercation unfolded when Afkari and a male companion entered Hazie’s around 9 pm, immediately raising concerns among staff regarding their level of intoxication. Miguel Marchese, a bartender at Hazie’s who was directly involved in the ordeal, recounted the chaotic night, noting that the couple requested dinner service despite their apparent impairment. The server initially reported that the table was not only intoxicated but possibly under the influence of other substances, exhibiting verbally abrasive behavior.

According to Marchese, the situation escalated when the server requested managerial intervention. The manager subsequently removed cocktails from the couple’s table and asked them to leave, citing their excessive drinking. Marchese recalled the manager returning the freshly made drinks and stating, “they’ve had enough to drink, we shouldn’t serve them anymore,” which preceded the rapid descent into chaos.

The viral video footage begins at the restaurant’s bar, showing Afkari holding her phone aloft while yelling, swearing, and slurring at employees who repeatedly urged her to depart. She taunted staff, making accusations and using expletives. The confrontation intensified as she noticed the camera filming and lunged towards it, striking the device.

The perspective in the uploaded video then shifted, revealing Afkari appearing to attack a man, later identified by KRON4 as another employee, drawing the attention of stunned diners. As her male companion attempted to guide her towards the exit, a staff member pushed Afkari to the floor. She quickly regained her footing and began flailing at other restaurant personnel, crashing into a woman and charging back toward a dining area where a large group was reportedly having a Christmas dinner.

Several individuals, including staff and possibly other diners, intervened to restrain both Afkari and her companion, who also resisted. They were eventually bundled out through the doors and onto the street, to visible relief and cheers from the remaining diners. However, the confrontation continued outside the establishment.

The video further captured Afkari bucking and kicking at Marchese, eventually grabbing his hair and refusing to release her grip as the group moved down the street away from the restaurant’s entrance. Marchese described the experience as “quite painful,” explaining that she only let go when he managed to take her phone from her hands. Meanwhile, her male companion was held in a headlock by another individual.

In an attempt to distract her and disengage, Marchese threw her phone away, likening the act to “throwing a bone at a dog that’s attacking you.” Despite this, Afkari ran back towards Marchese and the restaurant entrance. The extraordinary scene reached its climax when a man extended his foot, tripping Afkari, who fell heavily to the ground. Upon rising, she was seen berating her partner, accusing him of not being “man enough,” while he half-heartedly began shoving more staff members.

Ultimately, law enforcement arrived at the scene. Shireen Afkari was taken into custody and transported to the San Francisco County Jail, where she was detained for public intoxication. Marchese reflected on the challenges faced by hospitality workers, citing personal experiences with abuse, including being spat on, slapped, subjected to homophobic slurs, and sexualized by guests, underscoring the demanding nature of the profession.

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Keywords: Strava firing, Shireen Afkari, San Francisco restaurant, viral video, employee misconduct, public intoxication, Hazie's incident, corporate responsibility