Universal Employee Attacked by Family of Four Over Parking

Safety at Work

Orlando, FL (WorkersCompensation.com) – Officials with Universal Orlando Resort said one of their employees was attacked by a family of four in a dispute over restaurant parking.

According to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, the female employee told deputies that she was working at the hotel’s restaurant as a hostess when a group of four guests asked to have their four parking tickets validated as they were leaving. Police identified the guests as Olivia Brito, Diorte Humberte, Amanda Brito and Laura Alonso Carvalho.

When the employee only validated two of the parking tickets, one of the guests, Amanda Brito, got upset. Police said she picked up the parking stamp and validated the tickets herself, and the group left the restaurants to get their cars.

But, the hostess told police officers she contacted the parking attendant and let them know she had not validated the parking tickets. About 20 minutes later, deputies said the guests returned to the restaurant and demanded the employee validate the parking tickets. When she told them she was not able to validate them, deputies said Amanda Brito began one of the restaurant’s iPads that was on the hostess’s desk. A few minutes later, Brito struck the employee in the face hard enough to knock her to the floor.

When the employee was on the floor, the other three guests began to hit, punch and kick the woman while she was on the ground. Another employee and the restaurant’s manager stepped in to break up the fight. The manager, Paul Julian, said he witnessed the attack and saw the guests strike the employee first and knock her to the ground, and the other guests attack her while she was on the ground.

Sheriff’s deputies said when they responded to the restaurant, Amanda Brito told officials she needed her parking ticket validated and that the employee hit her.

Amanda and Olivia Brito were taken into custody, and all four of the guests were charged with battery and trespassed from the Loews Portofino Bay Hotel for a year.

The attack was one of several in the past few weeks. 

In West Park, Fla., was attacked during a botched robbery.

Surveillance video from a Kwik Stop in West Park showed the moments the potential robbery turned into battery at the store. In the video, the suspect climbed into one of the store’s windows to get to the cash register where the employee was working.

Police said the suspect and the employee struggled before the suspect abandoned the burglary and left the scene with stolen items. Deputies said the employee suffered minor injuries. The event is under investigation, officials said.

In Brook Park, Ohio, a customer attacked a gas station employee after being asked his age.

Officials said the employee was working at the Shell gas station on Brookpark Road on Jan. 14 when the customer entered the store. The customer, who appeared to be in his 30s, asked for tobacco, and was asked for identification to confirm his age.

The request caused the customer to become angry, witnesses said. The worker said she was afraid the customer was trying to expose himself to her, but was unsuccessful. In response, the worker walked from behind the counter toward the customer to get him to leave. In response, the customer threatened to attack her.

As the worker moved toward the customer holding a plastic baton for protection, and walked the customer toward the door, the customer turned and pushed her to the floor. As the employee got back to her feet, the customer pushed her down again causing the employee to hit her head on a cabinet. When she got up a second time and tried to get the customer to leave, he slapped her in the face.

After a brief struggle, the customer left the building, and drove away in a truck, witnesses said.

Police said the employee had injuries to her cheek and a lump on the back of her head, but that she refused medical treatment.

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