This past Friday evening, a group of Ramen workers at a new restaurant in the California Bay Area rushed out to rescue a woman after one man chased after her into the business and put the woman in a headlock, all while the workers were dressed as the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.
The insane series of events were documented by one Ploi Pirapoken in a series of social media posts that have now gone viral from the Thai-owned restaurant Noka Ramen in Oakland, California.
“When something surprising breaks out, you’re not sure it’s real,” explained Pirapoken to members of ABC News.
Pirapoken stated that the woman fled and rushed into the restaurant, fearing for her safety.
However, when the employees of the new restaurant, who at the time were dressed as the popular 90s live-action superheroes, spotted the man assaulting the woman, the manager –who was dressed up as the Black Ranger — and his employee — dressed as the Yellow Ranger — ordered the man to get out.
The assaulter then started to kick, swing, and scream various Asian slurs at the two Power Rangers, but that’s when all of the hero-clad employees joined in and shouted, “Huey!”
Pirapoken wrote in her string of social media posts that the term is an expression in Thai in the same way that the Cantonese say “Waah,” Koreans say “Yaaa,” and the English sat “The F***?”
The one dressed as the Yellow Ranger blocked the attack, ordered the woman to hide, and dragged the man attacking her outside the venue by his collar.
Witnesses tried to phone the police as the patrons were crying and shaking while the man, who was outside at that point, started “picking up chairs, baby seats & salt + pepper shakers to throw at the windows.”
The man fled the scene at some point while the crowd stood around waiting for the police to show up.
Pirapoken stated that the man showed back up with “a friend (or another person bugging on the street) to try & fight the power rangers.”
However, the police still had not arrived after “a half hour,” she expressed.
Piapoken stated to ABC that throughout the fight, the restaurant’s patrons started to get involved “in a way that was supporting and making sure everyone was safe.”
Pirapoken stated that instead of waiting, the Rangers rushed the men at the door and locked them outside of the facility while the other patrons inside kept everyone safe until police officials arrived.
Officials with the Oakland Police Department stated to ABC News that they detained the man, adding that he had been taken in for medical attention citing mental health issues.
The craziest thing just happened at dinner. I’m at a ramen shop owned by Thai people in Oakland dressed as power rangers, when a woman comes rushing in saying she wasn’t safe—and a man came running in after her and puts her in a chokehold.
— Ploi de Vivre⁷ (@ppirapokin) October 15, 2022