Authorities are investigating a dine-and-dash attack during which a waitress was allegedly pushed into the Lake of the Ozarks by patrons who abandoned their bill.
The female server at Fish & CO restaurant in Camdenton, Missouri, was “pulled into the lake” after a group she was serving left without paying their bar tab on Friday, the Camden County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
Surveillance footage obtained by NBC affiliate KY3 of Springfield, showed the group of patrons leaving the restaurant and walking down a dock to a boat. The server then ran after them to catch up to them. The camera doesn’t catch the alleged confrontation but a boat was seen leaving the dock soon after.
The sheriff’s office is investigating the incident as an assault.
The waitress, Liahna Bertels, told KY3 that she ran after the group to have them pay their bill. The patrons grabbed her wrist and pulled her into the water before taking off.
“I hit the water, they decided to start laughing and cheering which really hurt,” Bertels said. “And I was just like crying and bawling in the water and I didn’t know what to do.”
Ultimately, she pulled herself onto a swim platform on a docked boat after about 10 minutes.
She explained that the group included a young woman who ordered a drink, but Bertels didn’t serve her because she didn’t have an ID. The group then got angry and ordered food about half an hour later. However, they got angry because there was a long wait for the food and they decided to leave.
The restaurant said the bill was about $150, KY3 reported.
Authorities shared a photograph of two individuals who they were seeking to speak with to “get their version of events.”
“The Lake of the Ozarks is a tight knit community of people who care about each other. Together we can identify these people and help keep everyone safe,” the sheriff’s office said.
In an update Tuesday the sheriff’s office said a man in the photo shared by the office had contacted authorities and is cooperating with the investigation, noting he is “not a suspect in the case.”
The investigation is ongoing.
NBC News has reached out to the restaurant for comment.
