Police in Antioch, California, arrested a man on Monday who allegedly punched a fast food restaurant employee in the face, causing her to lose an eye, authorities said.
The Antioch Police Department had received calls on Nov. 12 at around 5:25 p.m. local time (8:25 p.m. ET) reporting an assault at The Habit Burger, located in the San Francisco Bay Area, police said in a statement posted to Facebook.
Responding officers found that an employee at the restaurant had been punched in the face multiple times "after protecting an individual with an intellectual disability from being bullied."
"The victim lost her right eye because of the incident," police said.
The victim, 19-year-old Bianca Palomera, said the suspect allegedly used slurs toward someone she identified as her co-worker's brother and threatened "to beat him up," according to NBC Bay Area.
"That's when I step in and I say, you know, 'it's not right what you're doing,'" she told the news station.
In surveillance footage of the attack, the suspect appears to get in Palomera's face and hit her. Palomera fought back and was hit again multiple times, NBC Bay Area reported.
The United States Marshals Service arrested Isaac White-Carter, 20, of Hayward, in connection with the incident on Monday morning after a weeks-long investigation. He was turned over to Antioch police and charged with felony counts of mayhem and aggravated assault causing great bodily injury, according to the statement.
It's not clear if White-Carter has an attorney at this time.
The Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office, who did not immediately return requests for comment, will be prosecuting this case.
In a statement, the Antioch Police Department expressed their "support and gratitude to the victim for helping a community member in need."
Palomera said she doesn't regret stepping in to help.
"This is probably the last thing that I would've expected out of anything, but I don't fully regret, you know, helping, stepping in," she told NBC Bay Area. "It could've been worse for my coworker's brother."
