Police are looking for a woman who struck a sheriff’s deputy with a baton at a St. Louis gas station after the officer attempted to prevent her from entering the business without a mask.
Video footage released by police on Monday shows the suspect approaching the gas station with a mask in her hand and later exchanging words with the deputy, a 59-year-old woman, according to KSDK.
The footage doesn’t show the encounter becoming violent, but in a news release, police said the woman “became belligerent” when the deputy prevented her from entering the gas station without putting the mask around her face.
The deputy alleged the woman pushed and punched her and later took the deputy’s baton and hit her, causing a concussion.
St. Louis Sheriff Vernon Betts commended the deputy on her demeanor during the encounter and expressed concern for her head injuries. The deputy is expected to recover and declined medical attention when medics arrived at the scene.
“This individual made a serious mistake, and we are working with the St. Louis Police Department to apprehend and bring charges against this attacker,” Betts said.
The suspect left the scene in a red car. KMOV describes the woman as over 6 feet tall and weighing between 190 to 200 pounds. She has long, straight black hair and could be wearing a wig.
