Authorities say two women who received an incorrect food order pummeled a Florida Steak ‘n Shake employee in a beatdown, with one of the assailants flashing a gun and threatening to shoot the worker.
In a Tuesday press release, Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office announced that the incident occurred on April 26 at a Steak ‘n Shake in the 5900 block of East Hillsborough Avenue in Tampa. At around 11: 20 a.m., the two women entered the establishment and began complaining about a mistake in their food order which was followed by a verbal dispute with the worker.
The duo subsequently “entered an employee-only area and repeatedly struck her with closed fists to the head and face,” the HCSO said. The woman fought back against her attackers and the brawl spilled over into the restaurant’s lobby.
“As the victim fell to the ground, the suspects continued to kick her head,” the release said. “One suspect pulled a black handgun out and threatened to shoot her.”
Video of the incident, shared on YouTube by Fox 13 Tampa, seemingly shows the pair waltzing out the door after the attack.
The “brutal” beatdown left the worker with a concussion, cuts to her face, lip, knee, and wrist, as well as contusions, the HCSO said.
“There is no excuse for these two suspects to have enacted the amount of physical damage and fear to an employee who was just trying to do her job,” Hillsborough Sheriff Chad Chronister said.
The pair remains on the loose. One of the assailants is said to be a “heavy set” woman, weighing 200 pounds and standing at 5’8, who sported a black durag, black shirt, black shorts, and sandals. The other “is described as a woman with a large build” weighing around 170 pounds and standing 5’6. During the attack, she donned “long blonde hair extensions,” which were accompanied by a red headband, white jeans, and a pink or light red sweater with a zipper, according to the HCSO.
“From fisticuffs to handcuffs, these suspects will be put away. We will not tolerate violence in our community,” said Chronister.
The HCSO’s announcement comes after another Florida woman was arrested last month in connection to a caught-on-camera meltdown at McDonald’s that Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said was over an incorrect order, Breitbart News reported. Tianis Jones was charged with burglary with assault, disorderly conduct, criminal mischief, and misuse of 911.
“She created a McMess, and she acted like a McNut,” Judd said. “But you know what she ended up? A McBurglar.”