Hostess Attacked for Following Virus Rules Won't Return to Job

When a group of 13 arrived at a Louisiana Chili's last weekend to dine, the hostess explained that the restaurant's social distancing rules limit each table to six people. The group became agressive then, Kelsy Wallace said. She was trying to figure out where to put everyone when one of the diners picked up a "wet floor" sign and struck the 17-year-old in the face. On Thursday, Baton Rouge police arrested three women on battery charges, the Advocate reports. "They all attacked me," Wallace said, per People. "I was kind of fighting for my life." Wallace, who was hospitalized, said that she received five stiches over her eye and that some of her hair was pulled out. Chili's said it's working with police to identify the attackers, adding, "They definitely deserve to be in jail for what they did."

"I was really scared, calling out for my mama," Wallace said. After this, she's through with the job. "It really has taken an emotional toll on me—not just physically, but emotionally as well," she said. Her aunt said Wallace, a senior in high school, has been subjected to cyberbullying since the attack. "She was very scared and embarrassed about what happened," Lorraine Williams said. "She is struggling. Her world turned upside down very quickly." Wallace is now seeing a behavioral therapist, per NBC. "She has a lot of nightmares and fears," Williams said. "She doesn't like to be alone." (McDonald's employees reported being attacked for enforcing mask rules during the pandemic.)