A Bay Area fast food worker said she is going to lose an eye after she was attacked.
The incident, which was caught on video, happened Saturday at a Habit Burger Grill in Antioch.
Bianca Palomera, 19, told NBC Bay Area Wednesday that she was trying to stop a man from bullying a special needs person, who was at the restaurant waiting for their relative to get off work.
“He punched me once, and my headset and my glasses went flying off my face,” she said. “He was throwing threats and slurs saying that he was going to 'beat him up', 'why does he keep looking his way?' That’s when I step in and I said 'it’s not right what you’re doing.'”
Get top local stories in Southern California delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC LA's News Headlines newsletter.
The suspects then got in Palomera’s face, hitting her. She fought back and was hit several more times. Doctors told Palomera that she will lose her right eye.
“I don’t really know what to think. I think I'm still processing it,” she said.
NBC Bay Area reached out to the franchise about the incident.
U.S. & World
News from around the country and around the globe
They released the following statement:
“The Habit Burger Grill prioritizes the safety of our team members and customers in our restaurants, and we condemn violence in any form. We extend our full support to our team member as they recover, and we are fully assisting the authorities in their efforts to identify the suspected attackers.”
Palomera’s family set up a GoFundMe page to help with medical expenses and they released the surveillance video of the incident to get the community involved, in hopes of tracking down the person who did this.
“We go through not knowing how to help her. Going through the acceptance, the grievance. We are outraged because we’re not getting help from police,” said Erica Palomera, the victim’s sister.
“This is the last thing I would have expected out of anything. I don’t fully regret helping, stepping in. It could have been worse for my coworker's brother,” Bianca Palomera said.
Antioch police said Wednesday that the incident is an open investigation and they have no suspects in custody.
