A young waitress has undergone emergency dental surgery after an unexpected incident left her with shattered front teeth. The unfortunate event unfolded when a passerby accidentally knocked a plate into her face.
On Friday, around 1 p.m., the security cameras at La Vallee in Essendon captured the distressing scene. The footage, shared as part of an effort to identify the individual responsible, shows the incident that took place on Keilor Road.
The victim, Anais Poupon, a French backpacker, was left with a bloodied mouth and a chipped tooth following the unprovoked encounter. The incident has raised concerns about safety and awareness in public spaces.
Recalling the shocking moment, Poupon expressed her confusion and distress, recounting how the passerby blamed her for the incident. “She told me, ‘it’s your fault’,” Poupon shared, still bewildered by the unexpected aggression. “I’m very upset, I’m like why this lady do that? Like, I did nothing.” Her words underscore the baffling nature of the attack.
The 19-year-old traveler has since had surgery to repair her damaged teeth, marking a challenging chapter in her journey abroad.
The 19-year-old backpacker had surgery yesterday to fix her teeth.
“It just makes you feel sick, you don’t wish it upon anyone,” La Vallee owner Josh Rabie said.
“She’s a lovely girl, she’s quiet and it’s the last thing you want to happen to anyone.”
Poupon’s colleagues posted CCTV of the assault to social media in a bid to track down the woman responsible.
“We are beyond shocked at this abhorrent behaviour of this grown woman. If you know her please send us a private message,” the cafe said in a post to Instagram.
“This incident led to one of our beautiful staff members CHIPPING THEIR TOOTH from the plate she pushed into her face.
“We love being part of the community in Essendon, and we hope our followers can share, tag and suggest this to local friends so we can get some justice AND hold this person accountable.”
The footage shows the woman narrowly avoiding the waitress before suddenly knocking the plates from her hands.
Police said they were investigating and issued a description of a woman they wish to speak to.
“A woman assaulted the staff member, knocking the plate from her hand before walking off. The staff member sustained damage to her teeth from the incident,” police said.
“The woman was wearing a black long sleeve top, light blue jeans, sunglasses and a distinctive silver necklace with a charm. She was also carrying plastic bottles of iced-coffee and a black jacket.”
Several people commented on the video shared by the business, including Australian billionaire Adrian Portelli, who offered a $5000 reward for information leading to the woman being identified.
“This behaviour needs to be stamped out. It doesn’t belong here,” he said.
A local dentist offered to fix Poupon’s teeth for free, but she had already received the emergency dental work.
“As a mother, I’ve got a teenage daughter, I was like, ‘please DM me, we want to help you and we’re not going to charge you’,” Healthy Smiles owner Alarna Cirelli said.
A local Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gym, G-Force BJJ, offered assistance to the waitress.
“This may not be much, but we would like to offer your injured staff member a 12-month self-defence membership free of charge,” they posted.
“This was very disturbing.”
A nearby business, Beauty on Rose, said it would check all of its cameras and visit the restaurant with what it has found.
Poupon’s friends have set up an online fundraiser to help cover ongoing medical expenses.
”Everyone is very nice,” Poupon said of the community response.
Anyone who witnessed the incident, has dashcam or CCTV footage or anyone with information should contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
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