Restaurant workers were left “black and blue” after being attacked by a couple in an alleged ‘dine and dash’ incident.
CCTV footage appears to show a fight breaking out between staff, and a man and woman who refused to pay their bill.
A man in a red top and a woman in a black top can be seen in a confrontation with staff, who then try to get them to leave.
As they exit, the woman can be seen throwing glasses and cutlery before removing a table top and smashing it on the floor.
Emilia Esposito, an administration manager at La Bella Vista Italian restaurant in St Leonards-on-sea, told how the couple had been acting strangely during the meal, making strange requests and complaining before they then refused to pay their bill.
She said: “During the course of the meal they were acting strange – refusing to make eye contact and asking for off-menu items. They also asked for their drinks to be extra strong. They became increasingly rude and disrespectful to us throughout the meal.
“They complained about the food after finishing their main courses, saying it was disgusting. They then said they weren’t going to pay, and because this has happened to us before, we insisted that they had to pay. That’s when they started to argue, and it escalated. The man went after our boss and attacked him. He came around the back of the bar and started pushing him.”
“The woman then picked up and smashed our glass table tops out the front of the restaurant. Our boss has visible cuts on his face, the staff have bruises from where they were trying to defend the restaurant and our boss. It’s a scary incident. We’ve all pulled together as a team but it’s scary and never something we’d have expected to happen to us.”
The Mirror reports that restaurant manager Kat Cmokova told the BBC some colleagues has been turned “black and blue”, adding: “The owner, my boss, had his finger dislocated and cuts on his face. And the rest of the staff had some bruising. My colleagues keep coming up to me to tell me they found more bruises overnight. They are black and blue.”
The restaurant also posted about the incident on Instagram.
Sussex Police said a 39-year-old woman has been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage, common assault, and assault. She has since been bailed pending further enquiries.
Officers are still trying to identify a further suspect. The force said: “On Saturday (October 12), at around 5.40pm, officers responded to a report of a woman and man fighting with staff and damaging property inside a restaurant in Grand Parade, St Leonards.
“A further report was made to police that a weapon had also been used to threaten staff following a dispute over payment of their bill. Officers arrested a 39-year-old woman from Crawley nearby in Saxon Street on suspicion of criminal damage, common assault, and assault.”
“She was taken to custody, and has since been bailed with strict conditions pending further enquiries.”
Anyone who witnessed the incident or has footage that could assist the investigation is asked to contact Sussex Police, either online or by calling 101 quoting reference 917 of 12/10.
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