Ralphs suspends grocer for five days after she peppered sprayed an angry customer who witnesses say repeatedly rammed her with a shopping cart because she told him he needed to wear a face mask

An employee at a California grocery store has been suspended for five days after she peppered sprayed a customer who repeatedly rammed his cart into her after she told him he needed to wear a mask. 

A spokesman for Ralphs said that the employee had not followed guidelines when she responded to the confrontation on July 15 at the store on the 200 block of South La Brea Avenue in Mid-Wilshire.   

'The associate was suspended for five days for not following company guidelines on responding to customers not wearing a face covering and not following de-escalation procedures, which could have prevented the incident,' a company spokesman said, CBS Los Angeles reports. 

+5

During the incident at the Mid-Wilshire Ralphs on July 15, witnesses say the shopper repeatedly rammed into the woman. She was suspended for five days for pepper spraying him

Ralph announced this week that all employees would be required to wear masks, following state guidelines when social distancing can't be adhered.

Witnesses at the store told CBS Los Angeles that the employee had told the man that he had to put on a mask or leave, required by Los Angeles County. 

'I was just coming down to the end of an aisle and all of a sudden I heard some commotion and people were getting in the aisle,' a witness said. 

+5

+5

The man was taken to a local hospital after he was peppered sprayed but witnesses say that another woman tried to get him away from the employee

'I looked down there and there was this guy just yelling at someone, and then all of a sudden you see him, you know, take the handles of his cart and just try to ram this woman.'

The man is said to have repeatedly hit the woman with his cart, as he continued yelling at her. Another woman tried to assist in moving the man away from the employee, the witness said.   

'I think he was just screaming about the mask,' she said. 'He didn't want to wear a mask.'  

+5

'The associate was suspended for five days for not following company guidelines on responding to customers not wearing a face covering and not following de-escalation procedures, which could have prevented the incident,' a company spokesman said