A diner at the Coon Rapids Applebee's suffered deep cuts to her face when she was assaulted with a beer mug Friday by another customer angry at her for speaking a language other than English, authorities said this week.
Coon Rapids Applebee's customer charged with attacking woman for not speaking English
The victim suffered deep cuts on her face from assault, complaint says.
November 5, 2015 at 3:16AM
Jodie Burchard-Risch, 43, of Ramsey, was charged Monday in Anoka County District Court with third-degree assault.
Burchard-Risch was dining Friday with her husband when she overheard the woman, who was sitting in a nearby booth, according to the complaint. "[Burchard-Risch] and her husband were upset that [the victim] was speaking in a foreign language," according to the complaint. She began to yell at the woman.
Restaurant managers tried to get Burchard-Risch to leave, but she refused to do so. She continued to yell at the victim and then threw a drink on her, according to the complaint.
Burchard-Risch then smashed her beer mug across the victim's face in a "round house punch" motion before fleeing, according to the complaint.
An Applebee's manager followed Burchard-Risch until Coon Rapids police officers caught up with her and arrested her.
The victim suffered deep cuts on her nose, right eyebrow and lower lip, according to the complaint.
Burchard-Risch's next court date will be Dec. 7. In 2011, she pleaded guilty to an earlier assault charge.
Karen Zamora • 612-673-4647 Twitter: @KarenAnelZamora
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