Chelsea and I were sitting on the patio right outside Paneras, off Broadway here in Columbia, which is one of the busiest intersections and shopping centers here, having coffee around 3 p.m. I do want to warn everyone about an incident that happened a few days ago. Before I begin, just know that my daughter and I will be ok. my daughter went inside to get refills. A woman came from behind and walked towards the doors to Paneras like she was going there. She passed my table and the next before she whipped around and grabbed my daughter's purse and ran. I caught up and grabbed onto my daughter's purse. I was knocked to the ground and being dragged and being told that she needed money to feed her kids, B&^%$! You're going to feed my kids b&^%$! over and over again. A man came out of no where and she said, help me brother. So now I am being attacked by 2 people. I am on my back the whole time. They said we will kill you. When she told him to pick me up, I started screaming with everything I had. It took a few, but he walked back to his car. She made one last ditch effort to open the side pocket on my daughter's purse to grab her cell phone. She didn't get that either. She walked back to their car cussing me the whole way. They opened their doors and hesitated, I truly feared they were getting a gun or a weapon. At that moment, an off duty fireman, who was a customer, came out and the woman told me they'd be back for me, got in their car and took off. There was not a license plate. The fireman said he'd seen them before he went in driving back and forth through the parking lot and noticed they didn't have a license plate on the front either. Two nurses who were customers came out to help also. The fireman called 911. He and the 2 nurses stayed with my daughter and I until I was taken to the hospital. A firetruck, ambulance and several police cars, emts and police officers were there and not one Paneras employee or management came out to how their concern. I just want to make it clear that I in no way would ever expect another person to put themselves in harms way to save or protect me. Including the Panera Bread employees, but once you have a front row seat to all the emergency vehicles and personnel literally on your doorstep, there's just no excuse for not checking on a customer who was assaulted at your business. The employees had a clear straight view to where I was and where a firetruck, ambulance and police cars were and somehow they missed all that? The fireman and the 2 nurses are my heros. Please share this post so that I may thank them. I suffered a sprained wrist, sprained ankle, bruised ribs, swollen eye, concussion, scrapes and bruises. They did not get the purse that had our home address in it, but I was robbed of my sense of security. I called Paneras corporate office and all I asked them was to add security cameras so their customers could feel safe and and apology from the employees. The woman said someone would get back to me. I got an email survey to rate the phone call experience. I want to stress that if you or anyone you know has someone threatening you to go with them....DON"T!! SCREAM and don't stop screaming because the last thing they want is for you to draw attention to them. Once, they get you into their vehicle, the odds of your safety are zero. Please share this so your loved ones will know what to do. Please share this so these 2 may be caught and there will not be a next victim. I also refuse to go to Paneras until they respond and take action. They have security cameras to protect their money, but not the customers who give them that money. I was contacted by #BesimAcar who actually said that there are always police and ambulances and fire trucks across the street at Breaktime (a convenience store) By the way, I've never seen emergency vehicles there. So #Breaktime on Broadway, #BesimAcar just threw you under the bus, by saying your store is so dangerous and that Panera Bread employees are so used to seeing emergency vehicles at Breaktime, that they didn't even notice the firetruck, ambulance, two police cars and personnel on #PaneraBread's doorstep. He also would not let me get a word in. He was condescending and kept mocking me. Kept asking, what's the problem? Ok #BesimAcar, this is the problem. If there had been an outside security camera and signage saying there was surveillance, this never would have happened. And then you turn around and ask if the police got the surveillance video from Breaktime? Like someone mentioned to me, if you go to a bar, you might expect a bar room brawl, but when you go to #PaneraBread, the last thing you expect is to be assaulted. How's that, #BesimAcar? Oh, and #BesimAcar, you just made a bad situation worse. If I survived 2 thugs, what makes you think you can intimidate me, a victim, and on top of that, your customer? Does that make you feel better? Now I will not be happy until you are gone. read more