HENRICO COUNTY, Va. — A Florida man is accused of assaulting several employees at a Short Pump Publix earlier this week.
Henrico Police say Orlando Lombard, 29, entered the Publix on Pump Road around 5:20 p.m. on Memorial Day and assaulted multiple store employees.
When officers arrived, Lombard allegedly turned his aggression toward them. Sources say it took close to six officers to gain control of Lombard and calm him down.
Lombard is charged with three counts of assault, obstruction, and disorderly conduct. Police are investigating whether drugs and alcohol played a role in the incident.
A regular customer, who asked to be identified only as Glen, said he learned about the violence when he visited the store the following day.
"My daughter and I were there ... we know all the cashiers, and one cashier had a mask on," Glen said. "With COVID, you end up just wondering. So I asked her, are you sick? Are you trying to avoid being sick? And she kind of pulled the mask back, and she was bruised."
Glen said the cashier described the attack.
"And basically, he tried to hurt her. Pinned her down, told her he was going to kill her, and just all kinds of stuff. It's just very upsetting," he said.
Glen said the incident was not something he would normally associate with the area, but added that violence does not seem to discriminate by location.
"It's a world we live in now, and it's just something you have to accept. There isn't really anywhere you can go to necessarily avoid the violence that happens, but, yeah, it is upsetting," Glen said. "One of the things that I had hoped, and again, I wasn't there so I don't know, but that some of the customers might have stepped in. Especially when a woman is attacked like that."
Sources say there were plenty of shocked customers who looked on during the incident. Lombard is out on bond.
This is a developing story. Email the CBS 6 Newsroom if you have additional information to share.
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