Can’t put my finger on why, but this doesn’t sound legit to me.
And, in a story pushing racism, the article displays racism themselves with a racist assumption - that lady heard and 'ignored' him, which implies that she understood Spanish, or, being a Miami Springs resident, lady should KNOW spanish if she lives there. It happens around SoCal and probably elsewhere - someone will say something in messican dialects to an obvious blonde Amish, and if the Amish doesn't understand, that someone will act all agressive and offended and looking down their nose when repeating what they said in English as if speaking English leaves a bad taste in their mouth.
When the macho spoke spanish to the woman while he was still in line, did he use a few flowery words in espanol himself? Surely there was other dialogue that took the incident from in line to parking lot to face to face (and why would he address an old woman in the first place? - was it microagression? Was he involving the cashier, guilt-tripping the lady standing behind him and seeking sympathy as a victim? Macho man tattletale?)
That said, lady went on a real rip that blew up an 18-yr career of saving lives on a loser that wasn't worth her time and energy, and so has already received immediate punishment that exceeds the crime of keying a car and slapping a phone out of oh so macho man's hand. Not guilty on hate crime; guilty on snapping. (And, possibly, guilty, going by her photo, of being cuban-American - which puts 'hate crime' into question).