Austin Sherrell: Autistic clerk at California grocery store fired after being assaulted three times at work
NEVADA, CALIFORNIA: A Californian clerk, who worked at a grocery store was allegedly assaulted thrice before being fired from work. Austin Sherrell, 23, suffers from mild autism and told a news portal that the assault took place within four months, “I’m taking out the trash, two people are stealing, they go out the side,” he shared one of the encounters where he pepper-sprayed and punched in the face by thieves.
“I’m bleeding and I get away and I run back inside,” Sherrell told KGET.Com that he informed about the incident to his managers, and the police were called. “My biggest problem, what I have is that I’m mildly autistic, I have a hard time processing things,” said a former clerk. Sherrell is working with Vons for close to three years and is on the autism spectrum. He was attacked a second time on March 17 in a similar scenario, where a man lunged at him with a knife outside at the dumpster. Fortunately, it ended up penetrating a roll of trash bags inside an apron pocket instead of his abdomen. Sherrell told, “Lo and behold, this guy’s lunging at me with a knife. And it goes into the trash bags. Unbelievable. The first incident didn’t shake me too much but the second incident, like, when you are close to death, I’m the most shook up I’ve ever been in my entire life. The most scared I’ve even been in my entire life.” Police were called to the scene, but the attacker escaped before the arrival, as per New York Post.
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'He’s threatening my life'
Recalling the third attack, the 23-year-old said it happened on April 1, where a store customer allegedly harassed female shoppers, “He’s cussing me out, he’s threatening my life. I back away, he comes back in my face. I back away again. The third time I defend myself, I push him off of me.” When Sherrell applied for worker’s compensation post three assaults since he suffered from the trauma of those attacks, the store asked him to take some time off. His working hours were cut short when he returned, and he was suspended pending an investigation.
'Termination was unwarranted'
Later, he was terminated from his employment because he touched a customer, as per Sherrell’s father, Adam. The United Food and Commercial Workers 8- Golden State, President Jacques Loveall said, “Our initial findings are that Mr Sherrell’s termination was unwarranted,” the union is appealing the termination.