A California 7-Eleven employee suffered irreversible brain damage and was declared brain dead after she was attacked by her manager, her family says.
Jessica McLaughlin was finishing her shift at a Hollywood location of the convenience store on June 24 when the assistant manager began antagonizing her, her brother Sean McLaughlin told KTLA.
The fight quickly escalated, and Los Angeles police officers were called to the store about a felony battery. The argument turned physical, and when officers arrived, they found a woman in her 20s unconscious on the floor, the LAPD said.
Police said the victim was rushed to the hospital, but the suspect had gotten away. No arrests had been made as of Monday.
Sean McLaughlin said his sister’s coworkers told him the manager threw a bottle at his sister before pinning her to the ground. The manager then straddled Jessica and cut off her oxygen, causing her to go unconscious.
The manager then allegedly attempted to erase the store’s surveillance footage before fleeing the scene on a bicycle, Sean said. Police have not named the manager as a suspect or corroborated the family’s claims.
The LAPD is still searching for the suspect. Their investigation is ongoing.
The victim’s brother said her doctors told their family that the lack of oxygen caused irreversible brain damage, which left her brain dead. Jessica’s family plans to take her off life support either Tuesday or Wednesday, pending funeral arrangements, Sean said.
Jessica had reportedly told her family that she was being bullied at work before the incident.
Sean also detailed the assault in a GoFundMe made to cover Jessica’s funeral expenses and medical bills, writing that his sister was “violently and senselessly attacked by one of her managers.”
“She held her down, sat on top of her, and didn’t let her breathe. While some coworkers tried to help and stop it, they were attacked too. When she finally got free, she collapsed. She wasn’t breathing,” Sean wrote.
He described how her coworkers attempted to give Jessica CPR and called for help, but it was too late to save her.
“Doctors and detectives later confirmed what we already knew in our hearts – Jessica didn’t do anything wrong. She was the victim, and this attack should have never happened,” he added.
The grief-stricken brother remembered his sister as “his rock,” writing, “Jessica had a way of making people feel safe, accepted and loved.”
“She had such a beautiful soul and deserved so much better than the way her life was taken from her,” he wrote.
“Now we’re trying to give her the goodbye she deserves. We want to give her a beautiful service – something that honors who she was and how deeply she was loved.”
The Independent has reached out to 7-Eleven for comment about the incident.
