A woman was assaulted by another female shopper accompanied by two men at Topshop, a clothing store in Fifth Avenue, New York City, last month, but even until now no official word has been publicly released coming from the management.
The attack happened on June 24 when the woman, Teresa Yolanda Cheung, went to the store at around 5:30 in the afternoon. She was punched by a woman in the abdomen area, but when asked why she did that, the assailant, who was accompanied by two men, responded with a smirk and said that Cheung bumped her, according to the victim’s Facebook post.
Cheung, after squatting for several minutes in excruciating pain, managed to find the manager of the store. However, instead of paying full attention to her testimony, he impatiently listened to her before switching sides to the other party.
What’s even worse, Cheung watched while squatting in pain as the manager chatted, laughed, and joked with the group in plain sight.
“The store manager eventually returned stating that he believed the assailant’s version of the events that I was never struck, and that I cannot remain and proceeded to eject me from the store,” the victim wrote on her social media post. “He simply ignored the request when asked why he would not view the video surveillance footage of the incident in order to make a more objective determination.”
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Luckily, a couple who overheard what happened came to Cheung’s side to assist her, but the manager, who only identified himself as “Tyrone,” got angry by this gesture.
“The store manager angrily demanded to know whether we were all together, knew each other, and proceeded to eject them from the store as well, threatening with arrest if they did not comply,” Cheung said.
Cheung and the couple who helped her then tried to call the cops to report what happened. But instead of letting them wait for the police inside the store, the manager and the security guard, identified himself as “Jose,” forced them out of the store.
“After the store manager and the security guard banished me with force from the store, I called the police and was informed by the dispatcher to wait inside the store for officers to arrive,” she continued. “After waiting outside for 15 minutes, a female associate came and rudely told me that I could not even stand in an area outside of the store before pushing me through the front doors and closing them.”
The couple stayed with Cheung after they were all forced out of the store by the management until the latter gathered her composure. She then waited for the police to show up on her own.
Cheung suffered a lot from the incident; physically, emotionally and mentally. She complained of sharp abdominal pain as well as episodes of anxiety attacks and numerous nightmares.
“I could not work for several days as a swimming coach and had to seek medical assistance from my doctor, who prescribed anti-anxiety medication and instructed me to rest and heal from the abdomen muscle damage,” she said.
“In support of my claims, I have obtained a formal police report, photographs of the assailants and store associates involved in the incident, documentation from my physician, and a voicemail recording of me under distress to collaborate my story. I have formally reached out to TopShop and its parent company in writing on multiple occasions since July 2 and received zero response.”
“In my complaint to TopShop management, I demanded for a formal review of the available video surveillance of the incident, the identification and punishment of all store associates involved, and consideration of remedy and compensation to the assault victim,” she continued.
In her post, Cheung said that filing a formal complaint against Topshop is well within her rights, adding that “Not only was I not consoled for the injury sustained, at no point did any staff member offer any assistance whatsoever.”
“In fact, I was told I could not even sit inside the store to relieve the pain I was under before I was rudely thrown out,” Cheung said. “This despicable behavior extended to two other customers who came to my assistance, who have expressed their willingness to share their stories in support of my claims if requested.”
Cheung wrote in the closing remark of her post: “At this point, I feel I have no other choice but to take my grievances public. If this is how TopShop elects to oversee matters of customer assault privately, it is my hope that the power of social media will pressure management to finally act on my behalf in seeking justice and relief. I am determined to right this wrong and will consider all options for an acceptable resolution.”
Images via Facebook / TeresaYolandaCheung
