A bartender at the Hard Rock Cafe in Miami’s Bayside Marketplace says she was violently attacked by a customer who claimed he was a veteran with PTSD and refused to let a woman “talk to him like that,” all because she told him to stop eating the fruit garnishes reserved for drinks.
Nicky Roberts told local news outlets the confrontation began Sunday night when she noticed a man standing at the service bar and helping himself to the garnishes. “The guy comes up to the service bar, he’s just kind of standing there. I look over at him and I’m like, ‘No, you can’t be there,’ and he ignores me,” Roberts recounted.
“I come up to him and like, ‘Hey, sir, I can’t have you eating the garnishes; it’s for drinks…’ because he was eating the fruit.”The man became angry, demanded a manager, and declared he was a veteran suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder who “doesn’t let any woman talk to him like that.”About 30 minutes later, the same man returned.
Surveillance video shows him approaching Roberts and shoving her hard to the ground. She hit her head and later said she was left dazed. Determined to get a photo of her attacker, Roberts chased after him outside the restaurant. There, she said, he slapped her phone out of her hand and shoved her a second time, sending her crashing down again.
The second assault left Roberts with a concussion, bruises, and a broken tooth that required emergency dental work. She told reporters she is now too frightened to return to her job. “It was so scary; it all happened so fast,” Roberts said. She described the experience as “jarring” and expressed concern about rising violence against women in public places.
Miami police have taken a report and are working to identify the suspect. As of this week, no arrest has been announced. Authorities released images of the man from security footage and photos taken by the victim in hopes the public can help identify him. The incident has drawn attention for the suspect’s use of his claimed veteran status and PTSD diagnosis as justification for the attack.
Critics online and in local coverage have noted that no service record or medical diagnosis excuses assaulting a service worker over fruit garnishes. Anyone with information is urged to contact Miami police.
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