Surveillance Catches Women Brutally Beating Grocery Store Clerk

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A brazen grocery store attack was caught on surveillance video after a deranged woman threatened a grocery store employee. In an attempt to make good on the threat, the suspect dished out a brutal beating with the help of four other women. The shocking identity of those women is troubling.

Lisbel Rodriguez Luna was attacked at Food Universe Marketplace in Fordham, New York (Photo Credit: Google Maps)

Lisbel Rodriguez Luna, a 25-year-old single mom from the Bronx, was working her shift as a cashier at the Food Universe Marketplace on East 194th Street in Fordham, New York on a Sunday afternoon when at least four women stormed her checkout counter and began pummeling her. The defenseless grocery store clerk was repeatedly punched in the head and had her hair yanked in the brazen attack that was caught on surveillance camera video.

As seen in the troubling footage, nearby employees and even some customers tried to intervene on Luna’s behalf, trying desperately to pull the attackers away. Sadly, they were unsuccessful as the women continued their beatdown before running away. Making matters worse, Luna explained that this wasn’t the first time she had encountered one of her attackers. In fact, she had been threatened by one of the women before.

Several days prior to the seemingly unprovoked assault, Luna had a run-in with one of the women when she stopped her from cutting in line to exchange recyclables for cash. In response, the woman threatened Luna.

“There were two other women in line and she came around and handed me the ticket and I asked her, I said, ‘Miss, is it your turn? Did she give you her turn?’ I asked, pointing to the woman who was waiting in line,” Luna recalled. “She said, ‘B*tch, that’s not your business. You better just give me my money! I’m going to kick your ass. I’m going to f***ing kill you. I’m going to bring my daughters and we’re all going to kick your ass!'” the clerk continued. “I took her ticket and gave her her money, about $15.”

Luna admitted that the incident left her “terrified,” and it would seem she had reason to be as it appears the woman returned to the store to make good on her promise. Bringing three of her grown daughters and another older woman with her, the suspect returned to the store and launched her attack with the help of her companions, according to store manager Jose Minaya.

Surveillance camera video captured the assault as Lisbel Rodriguez Luna was attacked by as many as five women. (Photo Credit: Screenshot)

When Minaya initially spotted the irate woman, he intercepted her outside the store and tried to calm her down, the NY Post reported. He said he also moved Luna to a different part of the store, hoping to defuse any potential situation that might arise. Luna went to a deli counter in the back of the bodega to hide out for about 10 minutes to wait for the belligerent customer to leave. Sadly, it was all in vain as the women “met up outside” and “came in and just immediately attacked,” the store manager explained.

“[T]he woman waited outside,” Minaya explained. “You can see her here in the video waiting outside, calling her daughters, and then her daughters came. It was three daughters and another older woman, so there were five of them altogether.”

Although Luna was left bruised and battered, she was not seriously injured. However, she was scared for her life and frightened to return to work after recovering at home, she said.

“No one ever attacked me like that,” Luna explained as she recovered at home, adding that she was terrified to go back to work because her attackers were still on the loose and she feared they may return. Unfortunately, she had no choice but to return. “I have to come back,” she said. “I have to work. I need money. I need my job. I don’t know what else I can do.”

As Lisbel Rodriguez Luna was attacked by as many as five women, fellow employees and even some customers tried to intervene. (Photo Credit: Screenshot)

Like Lisbel Rodriguez Luna, store owner Pedro Goico was also concerned. He realizes that his clerk got lucky, and things could have ended much differently, Fox 5 reported.

“They could have killed her. You never know what the intentions were,” Goico said.

That’s why Goico wants New York lawmakers to pass new laws that increase the punishment for assaulting grocery store employees. According to The Blaze, the advocacy group Collective Action to Protect Our Stores — which represents nearly 4,000 stores, including supermarkets and bodegas in the New York metro area — agrees.

Lisbel Rodriguez Luna
As Lisbel Rodriguez Luna was attacked by as many as five women, surveillance camera video captured the shocking assault. (Photo Credit: Screenshot)

In a statement, the group said assaults on retail workers are a growing problem in the New York City area, and they want lawmakers and politicians to act and do more to protect workers.

“Beyond the statistics on retail thefts going up, these are people — many immigrants — who are being attacked when stores are robbed,” the group said. “We need our leaders in city hall and Albany to step up to protect our workers, stores and ensure customers can shop in safety.”

Indeed, a store clerk shouldn’t have to fear for their life after politely redirecting a rude customer and calmly asking that they respect the store rules and other patrons. It’s a sad state of affairs when this is how people behave when they don’t get their way in what was an extremely trivial matter. Waiting in line is a pretty basic skill taught to children. Adult women shouldn’t be provoked to violence by such a simple and reasonable request. Unfortunately, videos like the one above are becoming increasingly common.