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USPS worker beaten in Michigan in alleged bid to steal stimulus checks

Mailwoman dragged across ground and beaten over head after van allegedly dented by attackers

Gustaf Kilander
Washington, DC
Friday 09 April 2021 18:11 BST
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Related video: Americans Are Spending Their Third Round of Stimulus Checks Differently

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A mailwoman in Michigan was badly beaten by two women who allegedly were trying to get hold of stimulus checks.

Social media footage of the attack shows the USPS worker being beaten over the head as she's dragged across the ground. Steps away, a USPS truck with a large dent in the front of the van can be seen.

The voice of the man who seemingly recorded the incident can be heard saying that they were "trying to get that stimulus".

The mailwoman fights her way out of the women's grip after around a minute’s struggle and a standoff ensues as they yell at each other before the women drive off in an SUV.

While it's unclear what prompted the attack, the man filming the video can be heard saying "They hit this mail lady's car," as he films the dented mail van.

Flint police have said that the mail worker was not badly injured. At least one person has been arrested in relation to the incident, Fox 66 reported.

Investigators have not confirmed that the attack was prompted by stimulus checks in the mail van.

In April 2020, USPS said it would deliver an estimated 60 million stimulus checks after the CARES Act was passed by Congress under then-president Donald Trump.

A woman who the man filming the video calls "granny" tries to intervene but is pulled back by the cameraman who warns her she might get injured.

The assault goes on for over a minute from what the video shows, and one of the bystanders tells the women that they are "going to jail".

According to data from the Flint Police Department, violent crime had risen 4 per cent as of 14 March 2021, compared with figures from the same period in 2020.

The Detriot News reported in September 2020 that violent crime in Flint dropped by 26 per cent in 2019.

But Flint has repeatedly been ranked as one of the more dangerous cities in the US. In 2020, the city experienced 61 murders, compared to 46 in 2019.

Flint police seized 655 guns in 2020 compared to 415 in the year before, The Daily Mail reported.

The Independent has reached out to USPS for comment.

A blurred version of the video can be seen below:

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