Quebec liquor store employee allegedly punches customer multiple times after mask disagreement
Quebec’s alcohol retailer, the SAQ, has suspended one of its cashiers who allegedly punched a customer multiple times in the head Thursday.
The fight broke out after the customer refused to be served by a cashier who allegedly was not wearing a mask.
The customer, Mario Gosselin, says he still feels shaken by the event.
"I thought I was being killed,” he told CTV. “I thought he was killing me."
Gosselin had been waiting in line at the SAQ in Montreal North when he says he heard the unmasked cashier mocking public health measures.
Gosselin says he heard the cashier brag that his girlfriend is unvaccinated. He asked to be served by someone else.
“I didn't feel comfortable,” he said. “So, I asked to be served by another clerk, who declined to serve me and got aggressive.”
That second clerk then called a manager on his phone, Gosselin said. The clerk handed the phone to Gosselin and the manager said his employees were not obligated to serve him.
Frustrated, Gosselin says he slammed the employee’s phone down on the counter and turned to leave.
"I was angry and was heading for the door when he came toward me and punched me three times on the head."
Gosselin alleged he was knocked back into a stack of wine bottles, shattering them. While he was lying on the floor, he says an employee approached him and put a knee on the side of his head.
"I thought 'this person is losing it and they're going to kill me',” he said. “When I was on the ground with my head compressed ... my neck compressed ... I really thought I was dying."
He says he suffered minor injuries, and filed a police report the next day. He wants to press charges.
Police confirmed to CTV News that an altercation took place, and an investigation has begun.
Meanwhile, the SAQ has started its own investigation, and the employee has been suspended indefinitely.
"We need to all take a step back and reflect,” said psychologist Linda Pagani, who says two years of lockdowns, restrictions and COVID-19 anxieties have everyone feeling on-edge.
“(We all need to) try to train ourselves to be a bit more positive about other human beings," she said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Average hourly wage in Canada now $34.95: StatCan
Average hourly wages among Canadian employees rose to $34.95 on a year-over-year basis in April, a 4.7 per cent increase, according to a Statistics Canada report released Friday morning.
Magnitude 4.2 earthquake reported off Vancouver Island's west coast
A 4.2-magnitude earthquake was recorded west of Vancouver Island early Friday morning.
This iconic Canadian song is turning 50
Andy Kim's 'Rock Me Gently' is marking a major milestone, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
Her SUV was stolen in Montreal. A Good Samaritan on Facebook helped her get it back
Just as she had feared, a restaurant owner from eastern Quebec who visited Montreal had her SUV stolen, but says it was all thanks to the kindness of strangers on the internet — not the police — that she got it back.
Oprah Winfrey: I set an unrealistic standard for dieting
Oprah Winfrey said on Thursday evening that she has long played a role in promoting unhealthy and unrealistic diets.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Toronto police called to Drake's Bridle Path mansion for another alleged intruder on Thursday
Toronto police say a man who allegedly attempted to access Drake’s Bridle Path property was taken to hospital on Thursday after an altercation with security guards.
Flat tire on a highway? Here's why you shouldn't try to fix it
If you're cruising down a highway and realize you have a flat tire, you may want to think twice before stopping to fix it on the side of the road.