Violence against fast food workers in the US continues … In California, a female employee loses her right eye after being beaten by a man

• A California man has been arrested for punching a female employee at a fast food restaurant. A female employee lost her right eye.
• The man was arrested on felony charges of assault and aggravated assault.
• A female employee said the man was bullying a teenage male employee with an intellectual disability.

A man in Antioch, Calif., has been arrested for beating up a female fast food restaurant employee. A female employee lost her right eye after being punched in the face to protect an intellectually disabled teenage male employee who was being bullied by a man.

Isaac White Carter, 20, was arrested on Dec. 5 on felony charges of assault and aggravated assault, Antioch Police said.

In a video posted on Facebook, Antioch Mayor Lamar Thorpe said Habit Burger employee Bianca Palomela, 19, was “severely assaulted” by White Carter on November 12. Palomela said she lost an eye because of it.

Palomela, who described the situation in an interview with a local television station, said she intervened when a man entered Habit Burger and started bullying male employees. Security camera footage from the store showed the man hitting Palomela at least twice.

“I just remember holding my eyes. At first I thought I was crying,” Palomela told KTVU FOX.

“I did, and there was blood dripping down my shirt and cheeks.”

There has been a spate of violence against fast-food workers in the United States, with numerous reports of employees (often young) being abused, assaulted, and threatened with weapons in recent months alone. . Arguments over orders often escalate into attacks.

In Antioch, Calif., in September, a 16-year-old Jack in the Box employee was pushed down and stomped on multiple times by an angry couple who said there was hair in their food. rice field. In July, at Bel Fries in Manhattan, New York, three female customers threw glass bottles and metal stools at employees and threatened them with stun guns.

In June, at a Steak n’ Shake in Tampa, Fla., two female customers repeatedly punched an employee over their order, claiming they were given the wrong item. Also, at Burger King in Wyoming, Michigan, a 17-year-old female employee was punched, kicked, and body-slammed by an enraged male customer who was accused of having too much soda. threw hard against the floor).

Thorpe said local police special forces and the U.S. Marshals Service had been searching for the suspect for weeks, leading to his arrest on December 5.

“Bianca just stood up for a boy with a disability,” Thorpe said.

“She lost an eye. To me, Bianca is a hero.”

At a ceremony on Dec. 13, Mayor Thorpe will present Palomela with the keys to the city, which are given to honorary citizens.