The manager of a South Coast DIY store who was attacked by a customer over mask regulations, has appealed for kindness.
Michelle Borowski says she was bitten and nearly run down by a car during the assault.
Borowski, the manager of the DIY Store in Agoura Hills, seemed visibly shaken as she explained how things escalated.
"A customer expressed her concern for another customer that wasn't covering her face and asked the cashier to address it. The customer got upset."
She says that she explained that masks are mandatory right now and the customer calls her names, so she asked her to leave the store.
Borowski says that the customer then grabbed the cashier and dug her nails into her arm, while the cashier yelled for help.
"She proceeded to grab my mask and rip my mask off and in doing so scratched my neck, which was bleeding. Then she turns around and bites me!"
The store manager said the customer tried three times to reverse her car into her in the parking lot as she tried to make a note of her licence plate.
It’s not an isolated incident. Attacks of this kind are becoming all too common, with retail staff on the front line.
Despite the horrors of her attack, Borowski is philosophical and says it’s a time for kindness.
"All we are asking for is for everyone to be kind and to follow the rules as we have to do. None of us like wearing these masks but it is a mandate right now and it is what's required to shop in our store.
"We are doing all we can to follow protocol and make it a safe environment for our customer and staff," she told KCLU.
