A fight erupted outside Citadel Outlets in Commerce, California, on Wednesday over what appears to be a parking spot.
The incident happened just after 5:00 p.m. and deputies with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department responded to the scene, KTLA reported Thursday.
The alleged victims in the case were identified as Patricia Cupa and her daughter, Natalie Martinez, 19. The two were at the outlet to return an item to a store and tried to find a parking spot. When they found one, it was partially blocked by another vehicle with the door open.
According to her mother, Natalie was driving at the time. After waiting for a while for someone to close the door so they could pull into the spot, Natalie honked the horn and asked someone in that car to shut the door. However, once they pulled into the spot and exited their vehicle, they claimed that four women and a man got out of their car and that is when things took a dark turn.
Video footage shows several people yelling and hitting each other as they fought in between the vehicles:
Click here to watch the full KTLA video.
Natalie, who suffered minor injuries such as a busted lip, said, “I tried fighting back, that’s all I could’ve done. Your instincts kick in.”
The KTLA report said someone from the other vehicle was seen opening the alleged victims’ driver’s side door.
“Witnesses said it was the male who reportedly grabbed a purse from the car before moving back around to the trunk of the vehicle,” the outlet noted, adding that he also went to the passenger side of the car before going back to the fight.
Patricia claimed her purse held her driver’s license, credit cards, and $3,000 cash. Security personnel at the outlet provided video footage to law enforcement that showed the suspects’ license plate number. Police are still investigating the incident that has not yet resulted in anyone being arrested.
Social media users commented on the violent video, one person writing, “I stopped going there a long time ago.”
“‘Tis the Season!” another user commented.
In November, employment attorney Ogletree Deakins said retail employers were gearing up for the holiday surge, noting that big crowds, stress, and “other factors increase the risks of workplace violence”:
At least one recent study of retail workers in the United States indicated that workers have heightened concerns for their safety during the peak shopping season with hostile customer interactions, theft, and armed robbers among the chief concerns. Further, recent violent escalations such as “smash and grabs” impacting various retailers heighten the risk and concern.
Another fight broke out recently at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport where several men were seen hitting each other with “Wet Floor” signs, Breitbart News reported Thursday.
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