Indiana 7-Eleven clerk attacked in face mask dispute

MISHAWAKA, Ind. (WSBT)— Coffee in the face, kicks and punches. That’s what a 7-Eleven employee dealt with Wednesday morning from a customer.

That employee told police she asked the customer to put on a face mask.

She told police the first time she asked, the man threw coffee in her face and then left. But he came back while she was out from behind the counter.

Police say the man knocked the woman to the floor with a punch and continued to kick her.

“Whether you like wearing a mask or not it doesn’t mean we have to become violent and assault other people," said Lt. Tim Williams.

But Lt. Tim Williams with the Mishawaka Police Department says that’s exactly what happened around 9 this morning.

“Throwing hot water on somebody, that is definitely an aggravated battery or assault depending on which one you wanna call it, and then kicking and punching them, I mean, it’s uncalled for.”

The employee’s coworkers didn’t want to go on camera but said she took herself to the hospital to get checked out.

Williams says he and his team are on the lookout for the man who sent her there. Williams says he has short dreadlocks and is believed to be in his early to mid-20s. He was wearing a dark hooded jacket and jeans with holes in them, and bright blue tennis shoes with white stripes.

Other employees inside the 7-Eleven want to remind customers that mask-wearing policies aren’t theirs. Those guidelines come from the CDC and the county health department.

And Williams says there’s no need to get violent over them.

“I know we don’t like to wear them for some of us, but we still need to do our part to help keep our community safe."