A confrontation between an elderly man and a group of young women on a California hiking trail has turned into one of the internet’s latest “Male Karen” debates.
A viral TikTok video showed one of the women spraying the man with bear spray after alleging the group felt threatened by his behavior.
While some viewers believed the women acted in self-defense, others argued the man was already walking away when he was sprayed.
“He is obviously Karen, but he was walking away, and she a*saulted that man,” one commenter wrote.
According to one of the women, she and five friends were hiking to celebrate a birthday when the elderly man confronted them about where they had parked their car.
She claimed there were no visible “No Parking” signs and that other vehicles were parked in the same area.
The woman said the man criticized the group, spoke aggressively, and continued confronting them even after they told him they were leaving.
The viral video began after the argument had already started.
In the footage, the man, wearing a backpack and holding what appeared to be a fishing rod, walks toward one of the women while pointing the rod in her direction.
Believing another friend was about to be confronted, one woman grabbed the bear spray she had brought for wildlife protection and sprayed him.
The man immediately backed away from the spray, briefly moved forward again, then retreated.
In a follow-up TikTok, one of the women said the group carried bear spray because they planned to hike in an area where wild animals could be present.
She also claimed that the man repeatedly intruded into their personal space during the confrontation.
According to her, the encounter did not end after they left.
She alleged that the man followed their vehicle and threw objects at it as they drove away.
The group later filed a police report, adding they believed they had acted in self-defense.
She also claimed the man later gave police a different version of events.
Authorities have not publicly announced any findings about the incident.
The video quickly filled with thousands of comments from people taking opposite sides.
“That is a straight up a*sault. He wasn’t even walking towards that girl. I hope he presses charges and we get to see her cry in a booking photo,” one person wrote.
A former police officer shared a similar opinion.
“As a now former police officer, she can be charged with a*sault, and depending on how old he is, those charges could go up if it’s an a*sault on a senior. Was he childish, absolutely, but he was also absolutely walking away from the situation.”
Another commenter wrote, “He wasn’t an angel, but he did start to walk away, and she then decided to attack with a weapon.”
However, others felt differently.
“These young women told him to walk away multiple times, but he refused to listen. They stood their ground and used pepper spray to protect themselves after he ignored their repeated demands,” one viewer argued.
Another added, “All of you are m*rons. He was aggressively walking towards another person off camera. She did good, and he’ll learn from this.”
