Gas Station Staff Kick Woman, Spark Store-Shutdown Protest: Video

ST. LOUIS, MO — Police have arrested two gas station workers after a video shared to Facebook showed them kicking a woman outside the St. Louis store's entrance.

The video shows the woman berating the one of the workers, using racial slurs and other obscene language. A man who appears to be the store's owner then comes out and demands that she leave. She seems to be complying when the man kicks her to the ground.

The woman then gets up and refuses to leave. She threatens the men, who return to the store and tell her they are calling police. The first worker then comes back out and approaches the woman. Both exchange derogatory remarks, and the worker kicks her again.

(UPDATE: Gas Mart Workers Charged With Assault, Owners Apologize)

The incident happened around 1:30 p.m. at Northside Oil on Delmar Boulevard in the West End. It's not clear what started the altercation or if the men have been charged. Witnesses say the woman may have been homeless.

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Protesters gathered outside the gas station Tuesday afternoon, promising to shut it down.

“We decided that they’re done for the day,” activist Wiley Price told the St. Louis American. “They didn’t need to make any more money in our community.

“If we wouldn’t have come here, the police wouldn’t have shown up,” said Rev. Darryl Gray, who helped organize the protest. He said police didn't show up until protesters began blocking the entrance to the store, adding: “The police are here to protect and serve, but it is pretty clear who they choose to protect.”