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Illinois's anti-masker ‘salon Karen' hits 18-year-old and snatches her phone, says not many dying from Covid-19

The TikToker claimed that the staff of the salon asked the ‘Karen’ to leave and told her she wasn’t welcome back

A TikTok user has accused an anti-masker dubbed as "Salon Karen" of allegedly assaulting a young woman at a nail salon when asked to wear her mask. The incident reportedly occurred at a nail salon in Park Ridge, Illinois. The video’s caption reads, “Please help us find her!” The overlay text reads, “This woman assaulted my daughter at a nail salon because my daughter called her out for not wearing a mask.”

The video sees "Salon Karen" get up while arguing with the teenager, prepared to leave the salon when asked to put a mask on. While it’s unclear as to what the woman said, the girl who was allegedly attacked is heard saying, “You’re a doctor? Put your mask on.”

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The woman or "Salon Karen", however, defends herself saying there aren’t many people dying from Covid-19. The daughter of the woman who recorded the video hits back saying she knows many who have experienced complications from the virus and died. “You can’t dispute this. You’re being rude and they have signs all over. And you’re fighting with an 18-year-old,” the girl retorts. 

The video shows "Salon Karen" suddenly snatching away the woman’s phone on realizing she was being filmed. The TikTok user shared a series of videos of the incident, urging people to help her locate the woman in question. One of the videos was captioned, “If you know this woman, please DM me or anonymously contact the Park Ridge Police tip line. #lgbtq #LGBTQyouth #karen #fyp #parkridge #illinois.” Another read, “Do not engage with Karen! My only intention was to find her! #lgbtq #LGBTQyouth #fyp #karen #park Ridge #illinois.”

In an update, the TikToker claimed that the staff of the salon asked the ‘Karen’ to leave and told her she wasn’t welcome back. The woman reportedly started recording because ‘Karen’ became “belligerent with the staff”. The girl who ‘Karen’ allegedly assaulted said that the latter went out of her way to “approach her, attempt to snatch her phone, and hit her in the face”.

In the subsequent video, the TikToker said she was able to locate “Salon Karen” with the help of the internet and could get hold of her employer’s information, which she has handed over to the police. “Yes, I am pressing charges. It’s gonna be a long process, getting this done, but we’re gonna do it right,” she said. 

A similar incident occurred a few days ago when another anti-masker “Karen” refused to wear a mark inside a store and went viral on TikTok for arguing with a teen cashier who asked her to put her mask on. The incident reportedly took place in Alberta, Canada, inside the grocery store. The video was recorded by a 17-year-old cashier who “Karen” argued with. 

“Karen”, who also pulls her phone out to record the argument, says she has a “medical exemption” that allows her to roam about mask-free when the cashier says her store doesn’t consider any exemption. The girl says, “I am a 17-year-old girl asking a grown woman to wear a mask. Put it on or leave.” But, “Karen” refused to leave the store and the staff said they would have to call the police to control the situation.