A bartender was fired after he savagely beat a woman whose car was blocking a parking lot exit behind his workplace, the High and Tight Barbershop and Speakeasy in the Deep Ellum neighborhood of Dallas, Texas.
Austin Shuffield, 30, was arrested and charged with aggravated assault, interference with a 911 call and public intoxication. He no longer works as a bartender at the barbershop and bar.
Police say Shuffield, who is white, had a verbal altercation with the woman, who is Black. Shuffield was angry that the woman’s car blocked a parking lot exit behind the barbershop where he worked.
A witness recorded the incident on his cell phone. The footage shows Shuffield holding a gun while arguing with the woman.
When the victim tried to call 911, Shuffield knocked the phone out of her hand. The woman slapped Shuffield, who became enraged and pistol-whipped her multiple times in the face and head.
The owner of the barbershop said he was shocked to see Shuffield behaving so badly.
“A very good employee. Somebody that never has anger or reached out in any way to hurt or be violent towards anyone,” owner Braxton Martin said. “It’s horrific what happened in the video,” he said.
The 24-year-old woman has not been identified.
Update: An earlier version of this post was edited to correct typos and Shuffield’s occupation as a bartender at the barbershop, which is also a bar.
