Ariana Grande has apologized for saying "I hate America" on her Fourth of July visit to a donut shop, but the pop singer still has not explained why she licked two of the pastries that were later sold to other patrons — and now police are investigating.
Leaked footage from the security camera at Wolfee Donuts in Lake Elsinore, California, show what appears to be Grande and her backup dancer boyfriend visiting the shop on Saturday afternoon,
TMZ reported.
The couple are seen kissing just before Grande transfers her tongue to not one but two donuts sitting on the counter. She then declares, "What the f*** is that? I hate Americans. I hate America! That’s disgusting."
On Wednesday, a representative for Grande issued a typo-ridden apology, stating that Grande is "extremely proud to be an American," and was simply expressing her concerns about junk food and the country's child obesity rate.
The issue was not fully put to rest with the statement, however.
On Thursday,
The Associated Press reported via ABC News that police in Lake Elsinore said they and Riverside County public health officials were investigating the video in which Grande appears to "maliciously lick" the donuts.
"She was really rude," said 22-year-old Mayra Solis, the cashier on duty when Grande licked the donuts. Solis and the shop owner said that Grande did not purchase any of the donuts she licked.
"During the investigation, the manager did state they normally don't leave donuts out like was shown in the video," said Dottie Ellis-Merki, a spokeswoman for the Riverside County Department of Environmental Health. "The employee went to the back to retrieve freshly made donuts by request of the customer and left the trays out while getting other trays."