NYC woman slaps tourist after being kicked out of pet shop for kicking puppy cages

Virginia Glaze
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A New York City woman has sparked nationwide outrage after slapping a tourist when she was booted out of a pet store for kicking cages full of puppies.

Footage from inside a New York City pet store is taking social media by storm that shows a woman viciously slapping another shopper seemingly unprovoked.

The violence broke out when the woman was told to leave the store after kicking kennels full of puppies. The store’s manager, Emilio Ortiz, recorded the incident on his phone — and the video is going viral online.

Ortiz approached the woman, demanding that she leave the store. In response, she attempted to slap his phone out of his hands.

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The unidentified woman, pictured here, slapped another shopper at a Citipup pet store in Chelsea, NYC.

NYC woman sparks outrage for slapping tourist unprovoked in viral footage

Ortiz’s co-workers stepped in, trying to de-escalate the situation… but their efforts were in vain, as the woman went on to smack another shopper in the face before making her way out of the pet shop, turning to spit in her direction as she made her exit.

According to Ortiz, the woman slapped the shopper so hard that she started bleeding from the nose. “She was bleeding, she had a nosebleed. She was like, really distraught because it was her first time in New York,” Ortiz said in a statement to the New York Post.

The shopper was a tourist hailing from Texas, who has now filed a police report with the NYPD for assault.

“She was a tourist. Imagine being your first day in New York, you’re just walking around, all of a sudden some crazy person just assaults you,” Ortiz said, flabbergasted.

According to reports, the puppies inside the kennels that were kicked are unharmed.

Thus far, the woman has not been identified, and no arrests have been made — but the incident has sparked a firestorm of outrage on social media, with netizens demanding she be found and charged for the “unprovoked” attack.

About The Author

Virginia is Dexerto's Entertainment Editor and an expert in all things TikTok, YouTube, and influencer-related. Boasting a background in esports, she's been tackling the social media space for over five years. You can reach Virginia at: virginia.glaze@dexerto.com.