On Monday, rolling out reported the assault of a woman by her Korean boss at an Atlanta metro area takeout restaurant. A video recorded by a customer named Markus Moultrie showed Mr. Lee, the owner of Doo’s Seafood and Deli located in Snellville, Georgia, violently assault Ju’Nea Turner, an employee and single mom of two.
According to Turner, it all started when Lee’s wife made a mistake on Moultrie’s order and he demanded a refund of $8.47. An argument ensued between Turner and Mrs. Lee after she stated to the young single mom that the $8.47 would come out of her pay. The discussion became heated when Mr. Lee came out and initially tried to mediate the encounter. He told Turner that she was going to have to work an extra hour that shift to pay for the food or it was coming out of her hourly wages. After several back and forth arguments, Lee told Turner that she was fired and to get the “f out” of the business. Turner was distraught because she really needed her job. The now infamous video shows what happened later as customers witnessed the outrageous behavior of Lee and his wife. According to Turner, she asked Mr. Lee if she could have the food to take home to her son since she had to pay for it. That is when Lee smacked the food out of her hand and told her no. He then pushed her and what is not seen is that he also grabs her by her arm forcefully and snagged her nipple ring, causing a slight tear in her flesh.
Moultrie and other customers were outraged as the altercation took place. Rolling out spoke to Moultrie and he stated that Mr. Lee became more agitated and grabbed two ink pens in his hands. According to Moultrie, it looked like he was squaring up to assault him, as he was angered that Moultrie was recording, taking the names of other witnesses in the store and waiting on the police. When the police arrived, their action, rather lack of action, in light of the evidence of the assault shocked those who witnessed the attack on Turner.
According to Turner and Moultrie, the responding officers refused to make an arrest because the physical contact was not forceful enough to merit an arrest for simple assault.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Lee stated to police that Mr. Lee did in fact push Turner and witnesses also stated the same as well as the video evidence. In response, the officer told Turner that she would have to go to police headquarters and file a complaint. Turner left the store assaulted, dejected and now unemployed. Turner had to scrape together $25 to file a police report.
A day after the attack, this writer contacted Moultrie and arranged to speak with Turner on Monday of this week. When the call finally came through, Turner was on her way to the Gwinnett County Police Department to file the report along with Moultrie. After listening to the details of their story, it was apparent that they needed immediate legal representation before they made another move. A call was made to Georgia’s most famous social activist lawyer Mawuli Davis of the Davis-Bozeman Law Firm.
Rolling out is pleased to report that Turner is now being represented pro-bono by Davis. Rolling out was told by Davis, “What we witnessed on the tape was a criminal act. Ju’Nea is only 23 years old and has two children, 2 and 7 years old. This is about race and class. If she were to have hit him, the outcome of this would have been much different. Today, an application for an arrest warrant will be filed.”
Davis stated that unlike filing a police report, which Turner was told to do, an application of warrant for arrest can only be done by an attorney. He stated, “We have a victim, a sworn witness statement, and video of the assault. All of which is necessary for an arrest.”
Rolling out will update this story as it develops.
