A New Jersey woman has been arrested after a brutal assault on an elderly lady was caught on camera over a dispute concerning a face mask.
Twenty-five-year-old Terri Thomas was arrested in Hackensack, New Jersey, after surveillance footage of her assaulting the elderly woman, Margot Kagan, went viral.
Thomas was hit with aggravated assault charges after Kagan was revealed to have suffered a broken leg due to the altercation.
Kagan approached Thomas at the New Jersey Staples franchise as she draped her face mask beneath her mouth when she used a copy machine next to the elderly lady.
In the footage, Thomas appears to square off to Kagan as Kagan waves her walking stick at her. Thomas then violently grabs Kagan, throwing her to the ground and knocking over the stall’s partitioning, where she stays for the remainder of the video.
After Kagan, 54, fell to the ground, no members of staff or fellow customers come to her aid. As Thomas walks past the felled Kagan, the elderly lady sticks out a leg.
Kagan maintains that she was only trying to persuade Thomas to wear a face mask and that she feels disheartened by the interaction.
According to The Grio, Capt. Darrin DeWitt from the Hackensack Police Department said: “The suspect became angry and yelled at the victim, who picked up her walking cane and pointed it directly at the suspect, coming within inches of the suspect’s chest. The woman then yelled at Kagan, violently threw her to the ground, and left the store.”
Kagan, who had just undergone surgery for a liver transplant reportedly broke her tibia due to being tossed to the ground.
A Go Fund Me page was set up for the elderly victim to cover her medical expenses which reportedly require surgery. The crowdfunding platform has almost reached its goal of $6,000.
The post on the Go Fund Me page recalls the events at Staples: “While shopping in Staples in Hackensack on Wednesday, Teaneck Township resident, Margot Kagan, a recent Liver Transplant recipient asked a woman to wear her mask properly. She was wearing it only around her chin,” the post explains.
“The woman began cursing at Kagan, and Kagan walked away. The woman then grabbed Ms. Kagan’s cane and began to assault her with it. She is now in the hospital needing surgery related to her injuries.
“Ms. Kagan has school aged children in the district. We are hoping to raise money to help with any of her medical bills associated with this, and any additional help the Kagan family may need during this very difficult time,” The post added.