Fired Coffee Shop Employee Gets Into Physical Fight With Co-Workers Who Wouldn't Let Her Retrieve Belongings
Looks like the people waiting to get their morning coffee were never able to get it.
Krakenimages.com / Shutterstock After she was fired from her job at an Atlanta coffee shop, a woman attempted to retrieve her belongings from the break room.
However, she was blocked numerous times from doing so by the store’s managers resulting in a brawl.
A physical altercation occurred between a fired coffee shop employee and store managers after they stopped her from collecting her belongings.
In a viral video posted on X (formerly known as Twitter), Shacoria Elly is recorded by a bystander in the aftermath of her termination.
Before the incident that unfolded at Harvest & Grounds inside Concourse D at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Elly and her co-worker allegedly got into a heated dispute over espresso shots, according to a police report obtained by Fox 5 Atlanta.
After the reported argument, Elly was terminated from her position as a barista. However, when she attempted to retrieve her belongings, which were still behind the counter, she appeared to be barred from doing so.
“Give me my stuff!” she could be heard yelling at her managers and colleagues in the video, as her managers shoved her back.
When Elly grabbed hold of a chair and attempted to throw it at them, things escalated.
After a heated brawl, consisting of punches, insults, and hollers, Elly was eventually able to scale the counter and launched herself into the back to retrieve her personal belongings.
Despite the managers trying to block her from doing so, she emerged with her purse and her jacket. “Somebody is on the phone with the police, right?!” one of the managers hollered at the growing crowd of onlookers.
The scuffle left a mess of straw wrappers, napkins, and even a spilled fruit cup scattered all over the floor. To add to the debacle, just before Elly exited the shop for good, she tripped and fell to the ground over the mess left behind on the floor.
According to the police report, Elly was “terminated” from her position at Harvest & Grounds, and had her airport badge confiscated by security. Police have yet to charge the fired employee with any crimes.
Employers have the legal right to ban a terminated worker from the property.
While it certainly seems like the incident could have been avoided had managers simply allowed Elly to retrieve her coat and purse before being escorted from the coffee shop, once terminated, an employee does not have to be afforded that courtesy.
That's not to say management handled this termination properly, but they were most likely trying to follow protocol. Had Elly simply left the shop, someone from the management team would have collected her items for her, but emotions were running so high it was unlikely that would have satisfied her.
In order to avoid situations like this from happening again, management should be trained in conflict resolution and proper termination protocol that would promote a calm transition rather than a volatile one.
While Elly’s manager certainly had the right to fire her from her position and ask her to leave the store, they had no legal right to keep her jacket and purse for themselves, but there is no evidence that was their intent, either. Hindsight is always 20/20 but to the casual observer, the altercation could have been avoided had one of the employees grabbed Elly's belongings and walked out of the coffee shop with her.
If anything, this has certainly created a teachable moment for everyone involved.
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.