LARGO -- Despite a call from terrified employees, Largo police failed Saturday to investigate a man who allegedly threatened to kill the black manager of a KFC restaurant.
It marked the third day within the past week the man had made racist comments about African-Americans, according to store employees.
Each time Largo police were summoned to the Walsingham Road restaurant, employees gave officers detailed descriptions of the man and his car.
But a police report was never filled out, and an investigation was not launched until the St. Petersburg Times made inquiries Monday.
The woman whose life was threatened was stunned by the department's slow response.
"The thing that frustrates me is they seemed like they didn't care," said manager Brenda Daniels, who has worked for KFC for 17 years.
"You know those black people, you shouldn't be serving those people," Andersen, who is white, said the man had told her. "They should be killed."
"I looked into his eyes, and he was full of hatred," said Andersen, 17.
"You see that n----- manager, when she leaves, I'm going to kill her," the man said, according to Daniels.
Police were summoned a third time. Unable to find the man, an officer escorted Daniels to her car. Neither a description of the man nor his car was broadcast to other officers. McMullen said. "Because we had multiple officers who handled it, we might have missed the boat on it."