A Connecticut woman is demanding justice after being attacked by a White man and his girlfriend while working at the front desk at a Quality Inn. According to Eyewitness News 3, the 59-year-old woman is now suffering from mental and physical pain stemming from the encounter. Her two assailants have yet to be charged.
Chrystal Caldwell spoke with reporters this week about the incident that took place last Friday. Accompanied by her attorney, she admitted that the incident has left her unable to sleep and eager to see her attackers arrested and charged.
Caldwell said the nightmare started when a man called down to the reception desk to complain about his room not having any water. Caldwell described his tone as irate and said that she and two other coworkers were working to quickly resolve the matter when the guest came down to the front desk to berate them further. It is at that time that he allegedly attacked Caldwell, calling her a monkey and kicking her. She painfully recalls that neither one of her colleagues jumped in to help or de-escalate the situation.
After the confrontation, Caldwell told reporters that she went to the back to recover. When she tried to venture out of the room to collect her belongings, she was met by the same man once again who at this time was accompanied by his girlfriend. At that time they both attacked her. Caldwell says they punched, kicked and stomped on her while shouting racial slurs.
Caldwell said the violent attack left her injured. She’s now working with a knee specialist and eye specialist, as well as a therapist to address the emotional trauma she is working through.
A captain with the Stonington police told reporters that the couple who assaulted Caldwell was also taken to a hospital that night before being released. Despite the altercation being caught on hotel cameras, they were never charged with the attack. They were also allowed to go back to the hotel to grab their belongings before heading back to New York.
The police department is now said to be composing an arrest warrant for the man and a possible warrant for the woman as well. The Westerly Sun reports that the police are working with the Office of the New London State’s Attorney to extradite the man back to Connecticut and make sure the proper charges are filed.
Caldwell hopes justice is served and the charges send a strong message that racism will not be tolerated in Connecticut.