Shocking video captured the moment two violent customers savagely attacked their waitress over a $50 bill at a Chicago Mexican restaurant.
A server at El Taco Azteca in Pilsen, a Chicago neighborhood, was tackled, punched and kicked by two women on April 4 around 8 pm.
The patrons allegedly came to the restaurant to complain about their meal – which they had ordered to go and nearly finished – and demanded a refund.
When the 23-year-old waitress politely denied their request, the women broke into their vicious outburst.
As depicted in the jaw-dropping surveillance footage, one of the women, wearing a black shirt, started throwing napkins from the bar and knocking down decorations.
The waitress walked over and tried to get the guest to stop wrecking the restaurant when the other woman, wearing a blue jacket, slapped her across the face.
Soon the unruly customers grabbed her and started pummeling her – beating the victim for several minutes during their rage-filled fit.
The two identified women piled on top of the waitress after shoving her to the ground.
As the women relentlessly continued their attack, they were seen dragging the waitress by her hair. They repeatedly kneed her in the face and stepped on her head.
A male employee tried to intervene, but his efforts to diffuse the situation were unsuccessful.
Another man was seen standing in the background calling the police.
Finally, the restaurant’s manager Martha Garcia busted through the doors and charged at the women.
‘I came in when I heard what was going on, and I was able to pull off one of her attackers,’ Martha told NBC Chicago.
‘When I finally got them separated, one of them then turned to me and started swinging.’
After several more seconds of injuring the server, they were escorted out of the restaurant, leaving behind a mess of fallen chairs.
One of them threw something at the waitress as they walked out the door.
The police were called several times as the chaos unfolded, but they reportedly did not arrive until after the women left the scene.
The victim was left with a broken pinky, scratches on her face and bruises all over her body. She has only been working at the restaurant for about five months, FOX 32 reported.
Meanwhile, the culprits have still not been identified.
‘I feel rage, primarily because something like this has never happened, and for it to be over $50 just doesn’t make any sense,’ El Taco Azteca owner Carlos Garcia told NBC Chicago.
The restaurant shared an update on the server’s health on Friday, calling the incident ‘deeply upsetting.’
According to the message, the injured employee has been doing better and El Taco Azteca covered her medical expenses.
‘The safety and well-being of our staff and customers remain our top priority. We want everyone who walks through our doors to feel safe, respected and valued,’ the post reads.
‘There has to be accountability. We cannot normalize this level of violence anywhere,’ Byron Sigcho-Lopez or the Chicago Police Department told the Chicago Tribune.
‘I hope this investigation gives light not only to who perpetrated this violence but how it came about and what we must do to prevent it.’
A GoFundMe was created by one of the server’s friends for additional support for her recovery.
According to the fundraising page, which has raised about $375 of its $2,500 goal, the waitress works two jobs and is just a month away from graduating college.
‘She’s a hard-working woman who was just doing her job. She needs this job and the money,’ Martha described her to the Chicago Tribune.
