McDonald’s Melbourne worker is bashed after giving customer wrong order
The moment a young female crew member was hit in the head for an incorrect order during a wild brawl in a crowded McDonald’s has been captured in shocking phone camera footage.
Terrified families looked on and other shoppers tried to intervene in the attack, which prompted the closure of the Melbourne Central shopping center on Lonsdale Street on Wednesday morning.
The “violent and intense” confrontation, which began at 11:45 a.m. and lasted “at least 10 minutes”, began when a young woman received an incorrect order, passerby Kavindhi Ranasinghe told Daily Mail Australia.
Shocking footage shows a customer reaching over the counter and grabbing the young worker’s hair, before punching her repeatedly in the head.
As Macca’s colleagues gather around her, the girl’s friends – aged 12 to 17 confirmed by police – also appear to go on a rampage, punching her and trying to jump the counter.
The store manager also boldly intervenes, trying to protect his staff as chaos ensues.
“Once the screams got louder and louder, things got more and more intense,” Ms Ranasinghe said.
“It turned out the order was incorrect and the director had tried to reason with them, but they were getting angrier and angrier.”
The store was full of families, including those with young children.
The moment a young McDonald’s crew member was punched over an incorrect order has been captured in shocking footage.
Melbourne law student Kavindhi Ranasinghe witnessed the brutal fight at McDonalds and posted a video she took online, saying staff were not at fault.
Spectators praised young manager for protecting staff during brutal 10-minute confrontation
“The people waiting for their orders all walked away because the manager was trying to push them back, and drinks were being thrown and splashed everywhere,” Ms Ranasinghe added.
“The staff member was extremely scared.
“The girls repeatedly attempted to jump over the counters.”
She said the worker’s manager was “amazing”.
“He continued to protect staff during the fight,” Ms Ranasinghe said.
“He kept asking the girls not to touch his staff. It was clear he was extremely angry because he could see the workers were scared and I imagine they would be worried about their jobs.”
The four girls were “arrested,” she said, and the store was closed until at least 1 p.m.
Police confirmed to Daily Mail Australia that the same group of girls had been involved in an alleged robbery at Melbourne Central Railway just 25 minutes before the altercation at McDonalds.
A 15-year-old girl, whose purse was stolen during the robbery, suffered minor injuries in that earlier incident.
Police also confirmed that four girls were arrested at the mall.
One of the four girls walks away from the counter as the scene turns into a full-scale brawl.
She decided to upload the footage to social media when she realized the staff had done nothing wrong but were at risk of losing their jobs.
“My main concern was that workers were being treated unfairly when they weren’t,” she said.
“These workers are paid minimum wage and they get beat up for a fast food meal.”
“I can imagine that the younger employees would be shaken by this event.”
She suggested that McDonald’s do a “wellness check” on young staff members.
The clip of Ms Ranasinghe was shared on Reddit by one of the store’s team members.
“Please don’t treat hospitality workers this way,” the staffer pleaded.
“As someone who works at this store, please help those affected if the danger does not affect you as well, even if it means calling the cops it will mean a lot, thank you.”
On Reddit, most seemed to support the McDonald’s team, especially the young manager.
“It’s really good to see a manager standing up for his employees. Gets between them and immediately pushes them away.
Victoria Police have confirmed detectives have arrested four teenagers following an alleged robbery and assault in Melbourne’s CBD on Wednesday September 21.
“A group of girls allegedly approached a 15-year-old girl on a platform at Melbourne Central Station and asked for her handbag at around 11:20 a.m.,” police said in a statement.
An older man also tried to calm the situation which quickly escalated.
Police confirmed to Daily Mail Australia that the same group of girls had been involved in an alleged robbery at Melbourne Central Railway just 25 minutes before the McDonalds incident. Pictured: An image of Melbourne train station
“The girl suffered minor injuries during the incident.
“The group of teenagers reportedly fled the scene, before becoming involved in a physical altercation at a fast food restaurant a short time later.
“It appears staff were assaulted and all four girls were arrested at the scene.”
Police said a St Kilda girl, 17, “is expected to be charged on summons”, while a Mill Park girl, 12, a Coburg North girl, 13, and a Preston girl, 14, received cautions for attempted theft, recklessly causing injury. and fight.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted McDonalds for comment.