An Arizona man was arrested yesterday for sexually assaulting a worker at an AM/PM convenience store. While the incident was not caught on camera, the fallout from the inappropriate behavior was recorded, and the victim — Sandy Valenti — has shared the video on TikTok where it has since gone viral. In the footage, local residents and employees of the store are not only shocked by the actions of the perpetrator, but they also banded together in solidarity to stand up and confront him as well.
The video clocks in at just over four minutes, and opens at the front doors of the AM/PM store where the sexual assault occurred. A bearded man sporting a dark green hoodie, ripped black jeans, and a baseball cap is stood in the doorway, and this is the offender in question. The lady behind the camera, Valenti, is the victim of the assault, and straightaway, you can hear her, expressing: “Like, you cannot just walk up on a woman, and smack them on the a** like that.”
This sets off a local resident who is stood nearby listening in on the situation. He steps into frame, staring at the perpetrator, saying: “What the f*** is your problem, dawg? Do you know her, bro?” To this, the man shakes his head, quietly responding, “No. I’m sorry.” The resident continues, “So what makes you think it’s okay to do sh** like that, bro? I’ve got a motherf***ing daughter at home, boy. I should beat your motherf***ing a** right here. You’re lucky I just got out from probation. Shut the f*** up, n*****.” There’s a moment where it appears like the resident who’s stepped in is about to take a swing at the criminal, but he resists the urge to do so. “Call the police. I don’t wanna touch him.”
While the supportive resident continues insulting the offender, staff at the store decide to call 911 and get the police involved. As they wait for the police, and after some back and forth, the perpetrator tries to claim that the incident was an “accident.” In response, Valenti fires back, “That was not a [accident]. No, I was leaning down and you got a good smack on my a**. Come on. Like, there’s cameras all around the store.”
The offender then comes clean, saying: “Okay. You’re right. It was a dumb f***ing [thing].” Valenti replies, asking, “Why would you do that?” The man looks cornered and finds it hard to express himself, saying, “I dunno. I dunno. I dunno. I can’t do this, okay? Please. Please. Please.“
Next, the perpetrator is brought into the store to wait for the police to arrive. The video then centres on the phone call between the victim and the police, with Valenti explaining the situation to them: “So I was laying against my car. And then, like, I felt someone walk from behind me and smack me hard on my a**. We are holding him in here. He started to deny it at first. But after that, he was like ‘yes, I did do it. I don’t know why I did it.’” The clip ends with Valenti on the phone to the police standing in snack aisle of the convenience store.
In a follow-up video, footage shows the offender getting arrested in the AM/PM carpark, with two Arizona police officers handcuffing the man. Accompanying the video is the caption: “The man that SA me has been arrested and will be prosecuted!!“
As the clip continues to gain momentum and snowball on social media platforms, netizens flooded the comments section to air their thoughts and feelings on the matter.
The man who stood up for you is a real man! I’m glad the cops took this situation seriously and I’m sorry you went through that.
IVORYLAPSED
Another commenter, meanwhile, chimed in with, “I know the man who helped you deserves praise but I’m really proud of you! I’ve been in similar situations and I seized up and did nothing. It took a lot of courage for you to report this.“
A third TikTok user added, “I’m so glad the cops did their jobs, so many of these cases get dismissed. Sorry you went through that and happy justice was served.”
While the incident has sparked much discussion about women’s public safety, it’s always heartening to see the local community rallying together and supporting each other. Hopefully, the offender will learn his lesson, face justice, and stop harassing women.
