A store clerk in San Luis Obispo was recovering Thursday after being punched in the face in an unprovoked attack by a would-be customer.
The attack occurred around 10:15 a.m. at the Flip Flop Shop located in the 800 block of Higuera Street, according to a news released from the San Luis Obispo Police Department.
The female clerk, whose name was not released, was alone with the suspect, later identified as Justin Edmund Pard, for several minutes as he wandered around the store, surveillance video showed. They spoke several times and the clerk even told the 20-year-old Pard to “have a good day” as he walked toward the front door.
Pard then turned around, walked directly toward the clerk while yelling obscenities and punched her square in the face, the video showed.
The suspect was arrested at a neighboring Barnes & Noble store about 45 minutes later. Police found a 10-inch kitchen knife in the man’s pocket, the release stated.
The clerk sustained a bloody nose and bruising to her face.
Pard was booked at the San Luis Obispo County Jail for assault and carrying a concealed dirk or dagger.
His bail was set at $2,000.
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