A woman has been arrested in the US for savagely beating a taco vendor in Los Angeles, the police said. The video of the incident has appeared on social media and shows the woman getting off her purple Lexus, brutally thrashing the female vendor and leaving without paying for the food. She has been identified as 36-year-old Renee Latrice Hines, who lives in Bakersfield. She was caught on Wednesday and sent to Los Angeles County jail on a charge of assault with deadly weapon, the police further said.
New York Post said the woman was fired was from her job as a temporary contractor after her employer learned of the viral video.
She was assigned to Yusen Logistics America, a global supply chain company headquartered in New Jersey, by her employer Simplified Labour Staff Solutions.
The incident took place on Sunday evening and the victim was Joana Vasquez, who owns Taco Ortiz.
Officers arrived at the scene at 6.35pm (local time) and determined the Hines “punched and pepper sprayed” Ms Vasquez when she asked her to “pay for the tacos she had consumed”, the police release said.
A staff member of Taco Ortiz recorded the incident on cellphone and posted the video on Instagram on Monday afternoon. It shows Hines coming out of her vehicle and charging towards Ms Vasquez, appearing to throw a bottle at one of the staff members.
She then grabs the Ms Vasquez by the shirt and attempts to drag her away. She punches the vendor and abuses her.
“She pulled my hair and then punched me in my shoulders,” Ms Vasquez told TV channel KTLA in Spanish. “She punched me in the face. She unloaded on me and then let me go.”
Hines, wearing a short pink dress and flip-flops then returned to the 2007 model sedan and left.
