Nationwide — Mae St. Julien, a 73-year-old African American great-grandmother from DeKalb County, Georgia, says she was violently slapped on her backside while shopping at a local Kroger grocery store, leaving her shocked and frightened. Police are now investigating the incident.
St. Julien says she was pushing her shopping cart down aisle 3 at the Ellenwood Kroger on Flat Shoals Parkway on February 26, around 4:30 p.m., picking up ingredients for a recipe she found online. She thought she was safe until a young man approached from behind and struck her hard on the backside.
“It made a loud noise. like a gunshot almost,” St. Julien told WSB-TV. She called the attack a “form of sexual assault to be hit in that spot.” The young man reportedly smirked before running off.
When police arrived, St. Julien learned the responding officer had just handled a similar case at a grocery store across the street. In that incident, two women were reportedly hit in the same way, though they may not have pursued charges.
The assault left St. Julien stunned, angry, and traumatized. She says she may seek counseling and wants to warn others to stay alert while shopping. “I want him to be caught, to be stopped,” she said. After more than 20 years [of] shopping at that Kroger, she says she will no longer return.
DeKalb County police confirmed the assault is under investigation and urges anyone with information to come forward.