This is just sad so hope grandma wins

[theking]

Cashier defended herself against man robbing store, then was fired, Colorado suit says

A 72-year-old cashier was fired from Circle K after she defended herself against a man who was armed with a knife and robbing the store, according to a lawsuit filed in Colorado.

The company wrongfully terminated her after she exercised her “right to self-defense,” according to the lawsuit.

Circle K, a convenience store and gas station chain, did not respond to a request for comment.

Mary Ann Moreno was working alone at the Circle K Sheridan in Westminster, Colorado, on the night of Oct. 4, 2020, according to the lawsuit.

A man walked in carrying two large hunting knives at around 7 p.m., according to the lawsuit. He “demanded” a pack of cigarettes, and when she tried to ring them up, he told her to give them to him “for free,” the lawsuit says.

She said that she couldn’t give him the cigarettes for free, and he became “visibly upset,” the lawsuit says. He then walked to the area behind the counter where Moreno was standing and approached a display case of tobacco products, according to the lawsuit.

He reached out for a pack of cigarettes and Moreno “instinctively” put her hands up to “protect herself and prevent the man from coming closer toward her and the merchandise,” the lawsuit says.

Surveillance video from the store shows her touch the man’s arm with both hands as she says, “Don’t come back here.”

A records clerk at the Westminster Police Department confirmed that the man was accused of having a knife that night. He was arrested and charged with multiple felonies, including aggravated robbery and menacing with a deadly weapon, the lawsuit says.

After the man left the store and police arrived, Moreno was “incredibly distraught” while talking to officers, the lawsuit says.

A supervisor who arrived at the store later that evening became “upset” with Moreno and said that she would need to be investigated for pushing the man away, the lawsuit says.

Two days later, the supervisor terminated her employment, the lawsuit says.

Iris Halpern, who is representing Moreno, told McClatchy News that Moreno feared for her safety during the robbery and shouldn’t have been penalized for her reaction.