Order mistake ends with Steak ‘n Shake staffer ‘brutally attacked,’ Florida cops say
A lunch order dispute turned violent at a Florida Steak ‘n Shake when two angry customers resorted to kicking one of the employees on the lobby floor, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.
The victim, who has not been publicly identified, was taken to Tampa General Hospital with “a concussion, contusions, and lacerations to her forehead, upper lip, wrist, and left knee,” the sheriff’s office said in a news release.
A search is ongoing for the two women who took turns beating the employee, officials said.
It happened around 11:20 a.m. April 26, at the Steak ‘n Shake on East Hillsborough Avenue in Tampa, officials said.
“Two female suspects entered the Steak ‘n Shake .... to complain about a food error on their order,” the sheriff’s office said.
“After a verbal altercation with a restaurant worker, the suspects entered an employee-only area and repeatedly struck her with closed fists to the head and face,” according to the release. “Attempting to defend herself, the victim fought back with the two female suspects as the fight moved out into the restaurant lobby. As the victim fell to the ground, the suspects continued to kick her head.”
One of the suspects then “pulled a black handgun out and threatened to shoot” the restaurant employee, the sheriff’s office said.
The suspects then left the restaurant and drove off in “a silver 2007-2009 Honda CRV,” officials said.
Photos and descriptions of the two women were shared on social media in hopes someone in the Tampa area would recognize them and call authorities.
“There is no excuse for these two suspects to have enacted the amount of physical damage and fear to an employee who was just trying to do her job,” Sheriff Chad Chronister said in the release. “From fisticuffs to handcuffs, these suspects will be put away.”
This story was originally published June 2, 2022 at 7:43 AM with the headline "Order mistake ends with Steak ‘n Shake staffer ‘brutally attacked,’ Florida cops say."