McDonald’s has denied claims made by a teenager accused of assaulting staff at one of its Adelaide restaurants.
Per The Advertiser, 18-year-old Mia Miller allegedly punched a Hindley Street Macca’s worker in the head, spat on them, and threw a drink and other items at staff members when she visited the store on Sunday, October 9.
The incident was filmed and shared online.
According to 7News, Miller alleged “the fight was sparked when a staff member grabbed her”.
She said she was “disgusted by my behaviour” and apologised, but stated “none of this would’ve happened” if the McDonald’s worker had given her a “cup of free water”.
“I want everyone to know I genuinely am really sorry,” she said.
“They could’ve just gave me the cup of free water and none of this would’ve happened but I should’ve just accepted it and walked off.”
Per News.com.au, a McDonald’s Australia spokesperson has denied Miller’s claims and said its employees were following emergency response procedures.
“Anti-social behaviour is not tolerated in our restaurants, and we expect our people to be treated with respect at all times,” they said.
“We will always do our best for our customers, but we won’t accept abuse, intimidation, threats or violence towards our employees.
“We will continue to support all employees involved.”
Miller has been charged with several offences, including disorderly behaviour, two counts of aggravated assault and committing a prohibited act with human biological material.
Just last month, South Australia announced tougher penalties for people who assault retail workers.
Speaking at a press conference, South Australian Attorney-Gender Kyam Maher said retail workers “faced pretty hard situations and frustrations from customers” during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We now see there are about 50 instances of assault each week in a retail setting,” he said.
“What we have introduced are new regulations that mean if you assault a frontline retail worker, a basic assault, the maximum penalty won’t be two years, it will be five years.
“And if you actually cause harm, the maximum penalty will go from three years to seven years.”
Miller will face court on November 24.
