New video shows a man who allegedly punched a waiter at a restaurant in D.C.’s City Center on Friday after the waiter refused to seat his party of 20 people, which is illegal under the city's coronavirus guidelines.
The man grew irate when the restaurant Fig and Olive in Palmer Alley refused to seat the large group, a police report says.
The report says the would-be diner hit the waiter in the nose with a closed fist and then walked out of the restaurant.
Video released by D.C. police does not show the punch but shows a man they called a person of interest in a felony assault.
The person of interest is seen wearing a dark-colored shirt and light-colored shorts.
Kathy Hollinger, President of the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington, says the attack represents another difficulty in very trying times for anyone in the food service industry.
“It's been a beyond challenging time," she said. “We know as a community that we need to get through this together, but that also means that the kindness, patience and the compassion, it goes both ways."
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News4 requested comment from the restaurant and were referred to their corporate office. We’re still waiting to hear back from them.
