POMPANO BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - An employee is speaking out about the scary moment when a knife-wielding woman threatened him at a Pompano Beach restaurant.
Betenson Louis, 19, said Friday he feared for his life when he saw what the woman was holding.
“She takes her knife, pulls it out and tries to stab me,” he said.
The incident occurred just before 10 p.m. on May 14 at a Snappers restaurant located at 600 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
“I think she tried to kill me,” said Louis.
Broward Sheriff’s Office deputies said the woman entered the restaurant asking to use the restroom. Upon her exit from the bathroom, she started acting strange.
“Then, after she used the restroom at the business, she walked out and put her hands on the food of people who were dining in the restaurant,” said BSO spokesperson Carey Codd.
In surveillance video shared with 7News, the woman can be seen wiping down a counter with a washcloth.
Detectives said when restaurant staff asked the woman to leave, things became chaotic.
The woman pulled a knife out from her jacket.
Since it was closing time for the business, the doors were locked when the woman initially tried to leave.
But seconds after, she approached Louis and waved the weapon in his face.
“I thought my life was over. I thought about my family, because if I died, I can’t help my family,” said Louis.
After a few moments, the woman left on her own accord, and no one was harmed.
7News spoke with the manager of the Snappers location. He said he wasn’t there when the incident occurred, but he’s glad his employees were able to walk away unharmed.
“The police wasn’t here during the reports, and thank God everybody was good,” said the restaurant’s manager.
Now, BSO deputies are searching for the woman before she repeats her act.
“For those employees in that restaurant this created a fear for them that they were in imminent danger. When you look at that video, and you see the woman put that knife in the employee’s face, you can only imagine what the employee was thinking at that time, potentially fearing for his life,” said Codd.
If you have any information on this incident or the woman’s whereabouts, call BSO Detective Karina Hernandez at 954-321-4236 or submit a tip through the SaferWatch app. If you wish to remain anonymous call Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS. You may be eligible for a reward of up to $5,000.
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