Three women have been arrested and charged with robbery and criminal mischief after they were filmed destroying a New York City restaurant and attacking workers in a dispute over payment for extra fry sauce.
“They wanted extra sauce for the fries, and when we explained that it costs $1.75, they got upset. And that’s where it all started,” chef Rafael Nuñez of Bel Fries on the Lower East Side of Manhattan told Univision.
Mr Nuñez recorded video of part of the incident, which took place around 4am on 4 July.
Now, Pearl Ozoria, 27, Chitara Plasencia, 25, and Tatiyanna Johnson, 23, are all facing criminal charges. According to Univision, the three women destroyed computers, a cash register, and other items inside the restaurant. At least one worker reportedly went to the hospital to treat their injuries following the rampage.
The restaurant’s co-owner, who asked to withhold his name, told NBC4 that his six employees are so traumatised they do not want to return to work.
“They’re devastated. They’re afraid. One of them still doesn’t want to leave her home. She has a son. She fears for her life,” the co-owner said.
The employees had looked on as the three women trashed the restaurant, as shown on now-viral video.
One woman was seen hurling a can at the employees while the others climbed over the counter and launched bottles of sauce.
Two of the women were also seen twerking on the counter as they laughed and applauded their destruction.
Ms Ozoria, Ms Plasencia and Ms Johnson are slated to appear before a judge on Friday.
The Bowery Buggie reported that Bel Fries courted controversy in the midst of its opening in July 2020 by throwing a large party while New York City was still in the midst of a Covid-19 lockdown.
