Red Lobster Waitress Reportedly Attacked for Refilling Water Glasses Too Often

Police say a waitress was attacked at a Red Lobster restaurant in Illinois on Friday -- the second such customer-on-server assault at the location in seven months.

The latest incident at the Fairview Heights, Ill. restaurant happened at about 2:15 p.m. Friday afternoon, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. Police said the waitress had water thrown on her and was hit repeatedly by either open hands or menus. Three suspects were taken into custody.

Police told the newspaper the motive for the attack was unknown, but a witness to the incident told KMOV-TV it started when the three female customers were unhappy that the server kept refilling their water glasses.

The witness said that as the waitress walked away, one of the customers threw a water glass at her, striking her in the back of the head. When the victim turned around, the witness said the customer picked up a menu and hit her in the face with it.

According to KMOV, restaurant workers and customers kept the suspects from leaving until police arrived. Paramedics treated the waitress at the scene before she went back to work.

A similar incident occurred at the same restaurant in December when four customers attacked a waitress for bringing the wrong drink order, police said. There was no indication the two incidents were related, the Post-Dispatch reported.

A Red Lobster spokesperson told the newspaper the incident was "unfortunate" and said "the safety of our employees and guests is our highest priority."