The Australian news bulletins were taking what I fear is a rather unforunate take on this. It wasn’t quite US bashing, but there was an element of cultural superiority in it - they made much of the woman saying in court, “in Australia, you can touch somebody and it isn’t assault”.
Well, actually it can be. Even back in 1988 when I worked in retail I was told that you cannot even tap a suspected shoplifter on the shoulder as it is assault.
So, anyway, it’s good to see so many US dopers annoyed at this cell phone idiot. Not that I’m surprised at this reaction, but it’d be nice for some of the Australian news outlets to read this thread - but “Americans are violent, unstable, selfish hicks” does sell, and they know it.
That happens in the US too. I know a woman who was trying to get an loud,unruly obnoxious customer to leave the store. She made the mistake of taking his arm.
He had her arrested. She lost her job, and the company got sued over it.