'I did nothing': French waitress describes unprovoked attack by passerby at Melbourne cafe
A teenage waitress has needed emergency dental surgery after a passerby knocked a plate into her face, smashing her front teeth.
La Vallee in Essendon yesterday posted CCTV footage of the incident about 1pm on Friday as it sought to identify the suspect.
The waitress, French backpacker Anais Poupon, who was walking outside the cafe on Keilor Road, was left with a bloodied mouth and chipped tooth as a result of the unprovoked attack.
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La Vallee in Essendon posted CCTV footage of the incident. Nine
The waitress was left with a bloodied mouth and chipped tooth. Supplied Nine
"She told me, 'it's your fault'," Poupon said of the violent interaction.
"I'm very upset, I'm like why this lady do that? Like, I did nothing."
The 19-year-old backpacker had surgery yesterday to fix her teeth.
"It just makes you feel sick, you don't wish it upon anyone," La Vallee owner Josh Rabie said.
"She's a lovely girl, she's quiet and it's the last thing you want to happen to anyone."
Poupon's colleagues posted CCTV of the assault to social media in a bid to track down the woman responsible.
"We are beyond shocked at this abhorrent behaviour of this grown woman. If you know her please send us a private message," the cafe said in a post to Instagram.
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Poupon recorded a video of her injured tooth soon after the incident. Nine
Poupon said the woman told her "it's your fault". Nine
"This incident led to one of our beautiful staff members CHIPPING THEIR TOOTH from the plate she pushed into her face.
"We love being part of the community in Essendon, and we hope our followers can share, tag and suggest this to local friends so we can get some justice AND hold this person accountable."
The footage shows the woman narrowly avoiding the waitress before suddenly knocking the plates from her hands.
Police said they were investigating and issued a description of a woman they wish to speak to.
"A woman assaulted the staff member, knocking the plate from her hand before walking off. The staff member sustained damage to her teeth from the incident," police said.
"The woman was wearing a black long sleeve top, light blue jeans, sunglasses and a distinctive silver necklace with a charm. She was also carrying plastic bottles of iced-coffee and a black jacket."
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The waitress was left with a bloodied mouth as a result of the unprovoked attack. Nine
The woman calmly walked on after apparently knocking a plate into the waitress' face. Supplied Nine
Several people commented on the video shared by the business, including Australian billionaire Adrian Portelli, who offered a $5000 reward for information leading to the woman being identified.
"This behaviour needs to be stamped out. It doesn't belong here," he said.
A local dentist offered to fix Poupon's teeth for free, but she had already received the emergency dental work.
"As a mother, I've got a teenage daughter, I was like, 'please DM me, we want to help you and we're not going to charge you'," Healthy Smiles owner Alarna Cirelli said.
A local Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gym, G-Force BJJ, offered assistance to the waitress.
The 19-year-old French backpacker had emergency surgery to fix her teeth. Nine
"This may not be much, but we would like to offer your injured staff member a 12-month self-defence membership free of charge," they posted.
"This was very disturbing."
A nearby business, Beauty on Rose, said it would check all of its cameras and visit the restaurant with what it has found.
Poupon's friends have set up an online fundraiser to help cover ongoing medical expenses.
"Everyone is very nice," Poupon said of the community response.
Anyone who witnessed the incident, has dashcam or CCTV footage or anyone with information should contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
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