Arrest made in attack on woman with cane who asked customer to wear mask, cops say

Police on Tuesday said they arrested a woman in the videotaped attack of a fellow customer who asked her to correctly wear a mask at a Hackensack Staples store.

Terri Thomas, 25, was charged with aggravated assault, according to Hackensack police. The city resident was released ahead of a court hearing later this month.

The victim, a 54-year-old woman who recently had a liver transplant, was using the copy machine at the store Wednesday when she asked Thomas to pull her face mask over her mouth and nose amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, police said in a statement.

“Thomas became angry, yelled at the victim, and then violently threw her to the ground,” Detective Capt. Darrin DeWitt said.

Video of the attack from store security cameras showed the woman try to fend off Thomas with her cane before she is pulled to the ground.

The victim suffered a leg fracture and required surgery, authorities said.

“Staples employees immediately called 911 and tended to the victim within seconds of the assault,” the captain added.

He credited Hackensack Detectives Demetrius Carroll, Ioannis Papanikolaou and James Han with investigating the case.

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Noah Cohen may be reached at [email protected].