TOP 10: Attack on Tim Hortons worker gains widespread attention (No. 10)
Dec. 20—It was one of the uglier incidents in the city this past year — the assault of an employee at a local Tim Hortons by two women and a teen. The attack gained even more notoriety as it was captured on video and posted on several social media sites.
The May 28 attack sent shift supervisor Elizabeth Arvelo to the intensive care unit of a local hospital. She was released from the hospital shortly after the attack and a GoFundMe drive successfully raised $6,000 on her behalf.
Niagara Falls police immediately began searching for those involved
By June 1, three people had been charged — two women, ages 37 and 30, were each charged with second-degree gang assault, a C felony. A 13-year-old girl was also charged with second-degree gang assault.
Falls Police Superintendent John Faso said the arrests were the result of "the ability of my detectives to identify the people in the video."
Detectives said that in addition to the cell phone video, which was widely posted and shared on social media, they were also able to review video of the incident captured by security cameras inside the restaurant.
The cell phone video shows the incident unfolding outside the restaurant when a white SUV pulls into the parking lot. The driver of the vehicle can be seen getting out of the SUV and then entering the restaurant, followed by several other adults and juveniles.
After the suspects engage in an exchange with workers inside the restaurant, the driver of the SUV can be seen moving around and behind the front counter. Once behind the counter, the suspect approached the victim, who was near a drive-thru window.
The video shows the driver of the SUV and other suspects grabbing the restaurant manager and repeatedly punching her in the head and body.
Detectives said that shortly before the incident, the manager had ordered a group of juveniles to leave the restaurant after they had become disruptive and unruly. Investigators said one of the juveniles had reportedly felt "disrespected" while leaving the coffee shop.
Investigators indicated that the adults who can been seen assaulting the manager were linked to the juveniles who had been forced to leave the restaurant.
As a result of the attack, the Tim Hortons location temporarily limited its dining room hours to 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily.
The incident also led to deeper discussions regarding the state of society.
On May 31, Mayor Robert Restaino, in response to the incident, held a meeting with several pastors from the Falls to discuss what the city and the community can do to stem such violence in the future.
He said those involved in the meeting agreed on one thing: Violence toward others is "never the right answer."
"As long as there are people who resort to that, who believe that can solve their problem, you are going to have incidents like (the one on Sunday)," Restaino said. "You are going to have shootings at malls and stores. You're going to have all that stuff."
"It's a real sad situation of just the current climate everywhere," Restaino added. "From coast to coast, you just read and hear there's just a lack of civility."
