A 70-year-old woman says a Walmart employee repeatedly punched her in the face after the two got into a verbal argument. “I will never go into a Walmart again,” the elderly woman assured.
A 70-year-old woman is repeatedly punched by a teenage Walmart employee
Police responded to a Walmart location in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin, around 7 p.m. on July 7 on reports that a 70-year-old woman had been struck several times in the head by a 17-year-old cashier.
The victim, PK Shader, suffered head and facial injuries, but did not require immediate medical attention.
She says this type of employee behavior is unacceptable.
“It’s been quite a journey: why would anyone do something like that? And why no one would help is even more so, especially in a Walmart store,” Shader said.
Both the employee, identified as Jazareia Velasquez, and Shader indicated that the incident stemmed from a verbal argument.
According to the criminal complaint, Shader asked to speak to a manager after having a negative interaction with Velasquez. He also attempted to take a photo of the employee to report her.
“She got up and hit me, fist here [in the face] over and over again,” Shader said.
“I’m never going back into Walmart, that’s for sure.”
Velasquez was arrested and subsequently charged with aggravated assault on an elderly person and disorderly conduct.
Shader says what surprised her most was that no one intervened to help her during the incident, even though employees apparently knew of Velasquez’s temper.
Shader plans to file a restraining order against Velasquez. She and her attorney are exploring other options to send a message to make sure this never happens to anyone else.
