MARSHFIELD, MASS. (WHDH) - The owner of a Marshfield restaurant was pushed and the protective plexiglass at the front counter was knocked down when a dispute over alcohol and wearing face masks turned violent early Wednesday morning.
Surveillance video from inside Ming Dynasty showed a 49-year-old woman pushing the plexiglass after she became enraged when the management asked her and the group she was with to put on face masks.
“She was pushing my husband and smashed my front desk,” restaurant owner Lei Yan said. “It put my husband’s life in danger.”
An off-duty Quincy police officer and three other people could be seen with the woman on video. At one point, the officer was spotted holding up his identification.
The group showed up at the restaurant just after midnight, according to police, and Yan said they all appeared to be intoxicated.
“When they came in, they looked very drunk,” Yan stated.
Yan said the group became belligerent when she refused to serve them drinks. They then allegedly left their seats to protest Yan’s decision and refused to put on masks.
“He just took his police ID, showing our whole bar, our whole restaurant,” restaurant co-owner Jimmy Tian said. “Like, I’m a police officer, I don’t need a mask.”
The woman pushed a customer as well, but the police officer didn’t touch anyone, according to Marshfield Police Chief Phil Tavares.
“The woman pushed one of the owners, pushed another customer, and then began pushing things over inside the restaurant,” Tavares said. “The man was acting belligerent as well, however he did not assault anyone.”
Yan also claimed that the woman knocked a phone out of her husband’s hand when he tried to call 911.
Yan and Tian declined to press charges but they did serve the woman and police officer with a trespass notice.
“It’s obviously poor judgement and improper behavior,” Tavares added. “The vast majority of police officers act appropriately, so we don’t need anymore of these type of incidents to happen with police.”
Yan added, “I was crying for two days because I felt hurt. A police officer should stop the criminal.”
Quincy police say they are investigating the incident.
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