In a shocking incident captured on CCTV, an alleged assault on restaurant staff erupted over a bill dispute at La Bella Vista in St Leonards-on-Sea. The footage from last weekend shows a man in red and a woman in black clashing with employees, who attempt to escort them out.
The woman is seen hurling glasses and cutlery before ripping off a tabletop and smashing it to the ground. Emilia Esposito, the administration manager at the Italian eatery, recounted the harrowing experience on Friday, October 18.
She revealed: "During the course of the meal they were acting strange - refusing to make eye contact and asking for off-menu items. They also asked for their drinks to be extra strong. They became increasingly rude and disrespectful to us throughout the meal."
"They complained about the food after finishing their main courses, saying it was disgusting. They then said they weren’t going to pay, and because this has happened to us before, we insisted that they had to pay. That’s when they started to argue, and it escalated. The man went after our boss and attacked him. He came around the back of the bar and started pushing him.
"The woman then picked up and smashed our glass tabletops out the front of the restaurant.Our boss has visible cuts on his face, the staff have bruises from where they were trying to defend the restaurant and our boss. It’s a scary incident. We’ve all pulled together as a team but it’s scary – and never something we’d have expected to happen to us."
Restaurant manager Kat Cmokova told the BBC: "The owner, my boss, had his finger dislocated and cuts on his face. And the rest of the staff had some bruising. My colleagues keep coming up to me to tell me they found more bruises overnight. They are black and blue."
The restaurant also posted about the incident on Instagram. Sussex Police said a 39 year old woman has been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage, common assault, and assault.
She has since been bailed pending further inquiries. Officers are still trying to identify a further suspect.
The force said: "On Saturday, October 12, at around 5.40pm, officers responded to a report of a woman and man fighting with staff and damaging property inside a restaurant in Grand Parade, St Leonards. A further report was made to police that a weapon had also been used to threaten staff following a dispute over payment of their bill.
"Officers arrested a 39 year old woman from Crawley nearby in Saxon Street on suspicion of criminal damage, common assault, and assault. She was taken to custody, and has since been bailed with strict conditions pending further enquiries."
Sussex Police are urging anyone who witnessed the incident or has any footage that could aid their investigation to get in touch, either online or by dialling 101 and quoting reference 917 of 12/10.
