A woman's desire for a post-Christmas bargain took a violent turn Wednesday at a South Florida mall.
Cellphone video captured the confrontation between a Steve Madden store manager and a customer at the Sawgrass Mills Mall. Sunrise police say the scuffle broke out around 5:30 p.m.
Andy Slater, a local sports talk radio host who recorded the incident, said the store had allegedly closed because of a computer malfunction.
Video shows a male employee letting a customer exit the store as he stands guard at the door.
A woman, reportedly a tourist from Switzerland, complains that people are outside waiting to enter and asks to speak to a manager while attempting to barrel past him.
The employee tells the woman that the authorities have been notified and asks that she "calm down and move backwards."
"No, I want you explain to me. Answer! Answer!" she demands while refusing to move so he can close the door.
The store manager intervenes and asks the woman to back away from the door, and again she rebuffs. The male employee reiterates that the authorities are on their way, but the woman says she doesn't care and the verbal tussle escalates to a physical fight.
The woman reaches over and throws water at the store manager’s face. The manager chases her out of the store, swinging her arms and striking her twice in the face.
Other employees usher her back in the store and shut the doors.
“You hit my like a crazy! I’m going to sue you!” shouts the tourist.
The store was closed for several hours after the fight.
Sunrise police say they are investigating the incident. No arrests have been made.
Steve Madden released a statement saying they were working to find out the details of an "unfortunate situation" while a Sawgrass Mills Mall spokesperson called the fight an isolated incident.
Courtesy of our news partner at NBC Miami
