NORTH MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – A beauty supply store employee told Local 10 News she had a feeling something bad was going to happen this week when two women walked into the store.
The employee said words were exchanged and store items were tossed around when one of the women picked a fight with her.
The chaos happened shortly after doors opened Thursday morning at a beauty supply store on Northeast 167th Street in North Miami Beach.
The salon specialist working at the time said two women, a customer and a former employee, started to make trouble inside the store and they were asked to leave.
"I felt the energy. I knew the energy was bad as soon as they walked in," the employee said.
The video shows the assistant manager trying to escort the pair out. The former employee walks out but the customer decides to throw a mannequin at the worker.
"I'm defending myself because you threw something at me first, and then I react after that," the employee, who did not want to be identified, said.
The employee said she threw store equipment back at the customer and the customer then tossed a shopping basket before rushing deeper into the store and grabbing lipstick, other makeup items and perfume, which she began to throw behind the counter.
"I was looking at her like she was crazy the whole time," the employee said.
Before the customer walked out, the employee said, she grabbed the "wet floor" sign and hit the employee with it.
Police were called after this happened. But the employee said she was not expecting to be the only one charged with battery in this case.
"They come inside my workplace trying to fight me. What am I supposed to do? Just stand there and watch them?" the woman asked.
The employee said she has a few cuts on her hand from the scuffle. She said she wants to plead her case in court and hopes the charges against her are dropped.