Three Texas grocery store employees were caught on camera choking a grandmother after she allegedly refused to give them the $50 she found on the ground. Although the employees were fired, no arrests were made.
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Betty Smith, 65, said she went to the Lindemann Grocery Store in Austin County on January 16 to get ice cream and a honey bun for her son when she discovered a $50 bill on the ground. When Smith refused to hand over the money, she was confronted by store employees and physically restrained. She told FOX 26 that the store manager told her she couldn’t leave with the money because it belonged to someone else, and that one of the employees choked her while another snatched it. Smith recalled once hearing racial slurs from a female employee.
“They just jumped all over me and choked me. She was spitting all in my face … I was too scared to spit in her face,” Smith exclaimed. Officers arrived at the store shortly after Smith’s daughter arrived, but instead of taking statements from her, they placed her daughter in handcuffs for allegedly assaulting one of the employees. They only took a statement from store employees and then left.
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Since the incident, all three employees have been fired and the store’s owner has issued an apology to Smith in addition to offering to pay bail for her daughter. However, Smith declined the offer and wants the employees who restrained her to be arrested.
The Austin County District Attorney’s Office also released a statement and said the investigation is currently ongoing as they are reviewing all statements and the surveillance video.
“Austin County District Attorney’s Office has received offense reports, witness statements, and extensive video evidence from the Austin County Sheriff’s Office investigation concerning the January 16, 2023, incident at Lindemann Store. The District Attorney’s Office is carefully reviewing this matter, as we do with all investigations forwarded by law enforcement. This remains an ongoing investigation. The office will continue to request and review any additional evidence that may be relevant to charging decisions in this incident. When this matter is completed, the Austin County District Attorney’s Office will issue a press release to notify the public regarding the outcome.”
The store started receiving negative reviews on Google for the attack. One reviewer wrote, “Employs racist combative employees – these employees abused an elderly black woman locking her in the store and treating them like dirt She was helpless. Not acceptable.”
Several others left one star reviews for the grocery store amid the attack and said the message their former employees sent clearly shows outsiders are not welcomed in the store.
“If a store employee found that money, it would have been in their pockets so what’s the difference?!!! If someone drops money, that’s their loss!!!! It was only $50!!!!! It’s not up to your employees to put their hands on an elderly woman over it!!!!!!! Especially when they would have pocketed the found, non-store belonging money!!!! REGARDLESSS, those employees used poor judgement!!!!!! Stop hiring people like that!!!!””Is there a manager on duty at this store? You all need to train your employees not to attack or restrain your customers from leaving the store. It just looks so bad for your business, there is due process is this country and there are security cameras plus it is better let law enforcement deal with this. So many things could have gone wrong, luckily no one was seriously injured. You do not want blood on your hands. We should all commend your business for at least firing that clerk right away.””A few days ago, I witnessed the assault of an elderly customer. The staff locked her inside the store as 2 women verbally and physically assaulted her. Then a man came and grabbed her from behind. This triggered me, as this in no way should be acceptable to treat customers this way, regardless of the situation! My granny is usually a frequent shopper there but as of now, I’ve told her and her friends to stay away. I hope they shuts this place down, the employees are a danger to society.”