A spree of unprovoked violence at a Brooklyn eatery has left several diners assaulted and the local community in shock. According to PIX11, Hilda Grullon, 44, allegedly attacked a 63-year-old man with a glass bottle inside the Burrito Bar & Kitchen before taking her aggression to the streets where she reportedly punched several others on Saturday afternoon.
In what was once an establishment reverberating the motto "peace, love, and burritos," chaos erupted when Grullon entered the restaurant near Flatbush Avenue and St. Mark’s Place at around 3:30 p.m., as captured by the eatery's surveillance video and obtained by CBS News New York. Witnesses described her using racial slurs and then turning violent, striking the older diner with the bottle, which resulted in a head injury requiring staples. After storming out, Grullon is accused of continuing her assaultive behavior, punching several other people including a man in the company of his young children, according to the criminal complaint filed against her.
The general manager of Burrito Bar & Kitchen, Gregory Yerman, became entangled in the altercation as he attempted to protect his guests. "She was lunging for the guests," Yerman recounted during an interview with CBS News New York. The confrontation continued outside where, according to police, Grullon punched at least four other victims before her eventual arrest.
Grullon faces multiple charges including assault, criminal possession of a weapon, menacing, and endangering the welfare of a child. Questions about the suspect's fitness to stand trial emerged, given her behavior described by authorities, but she pleaded not guilty and, surprisingly to some, was released without bail. Reflecting the community’s alarm, Yerman told CBS News New York, "She should not be walking the streets. She's dangerous."
