Safety at Work
New York City, NY (WorkersCompensation.com) — A deli worker in New York City is recovering after being stabbed by a shoplifter.
His story is just one of incidents of people being attacked while working this month.
Police in New York said the victim was working at the deli on Westchester and Stratford Avenue in Soundview around 10 a.m. on May 22 when he confronted a shoplifter attempting to steal a pack of cookies. Witnesses said the worker came after the shoplifter with a bat, and a violent fight ensued.
The conflict spilled out onto the street where the suspect violently attacked the worker. The suspect then allegedly stabbed the 26-year-old deli worker in the leg before running away from the scene.
The victim was taken to the hospital and is expected to recover. Police said they were still investigating the crime. Neighbors told media outlets that while the deli has been a part of the community for decades, shoplifting has been an ongoing issue in the store.
In Dallas, Texas, an apartment manager is recovering after being attacked by a man who set fire to one of the apartments in their building.
Dallas Police Department officials said Keila Torres, a leasing employee with an apartment complex in Dallas, was stabbed by a tenant multiple times, as he yelled death threats at her.
“It’s very hard to sleep at night,” Torres told WFAA.
According to police, 30-year-old Rigoberto Contreras Pirela entered the leasing office armed with a knife, and jumped over the front desk to attack Torres on May 19. As he attacked, police said, he yelled, “I’m going to kill you.”
Investigators said Torres suffered stab wounds to her head, back and arm.
“The next thing I see is just him jumping over my desk, punching me and jumping on top of me,” Torres said. “This shoulder… this is the deepest one. That’s where he was able to put the blade in.”
Torres was taken to hospital and treated for her wounds.
“I was stabbed in the head, so I have 10 stitches across, three on this side,” she said.
Prior to the attack, Pirela set fire to his apartment.
As the attack unfolded, a maintenance worker in the office intervened and put Pirela in a “bear hug” to get him off of Torres. Police said Pirela then broke free and bit the maintenance worker, before attempting to slash him with the knife.
According to court records when officers arrived, the maintenance worker and another witness had the suspect contained and were holding him on the ground. Police arrested him and transported him to a hospital for treatment of injuries he suffered during the struggle.
Torres said she believed the warning signs were there concerning Pinela. She said Pirela had previously come into the leasing office angry over a rent payment issue. During that incident, he punched walls and damaged doors, she said. Staff members called the police during that incident, she said, but she believes more could have been done. She also said she’d reported doesn’t feel safe returning to work.
“Knowing that it took almost a month for this to happen, to me is just hurtful,” she said.
Torres said she is continuing to recover and encourages employers to take warning signs and threats more seriously.
Pirela is being held in the Dallas County Jail on two charges of Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon with a $400,000 bond.
And in St. Louis, the family of a worker is seeking answers after his death at a nightclub.
St. Louis police said 24-year-old Devont’a Henderson was shot and killed May 17 at the Boom Boom Room. Officials said the young man was preparing to clock out when two masked men forced their way into the closed business and opened fire.
When police arrived after 12:30 a.m., they said they found Henderson inside the establishment dead of a gunshot wound.
During a vigil outside of the venue on Saturday, his family and friends released balloons in his memory.
“This is to show him that we got you,” Zamaryah Martin, a relative of Henderson’s, said. “We will forever remember you. Your memory will forever live on. We’re never going to stop saying your name.”
Family members said Henderson was a dedicated employee who loved his job at the popular nightclub, and often invited relatives to come and visit him at the venue.
“What happened to him, he really didn’t deserve it,” Martin said. “He wasn’t bothering nobody. He was just doing his job. He really was just a good person.”
Investigators said they are searching for two suspects and have not yet released a motive for the shooting.
