A shopper says she opened a stranger’s car at Trader Joe’s to give the kids inside air, then their mother came back and grabbed her by the hair

A viral video showing a physical fight in a Southern California parking lot has surfaced online after a shopper spotted children allegedly left alone in a vehicle. The situation began at a Trader Joe’s parking lot in Whittier and turned into a brawl once the shopper allegedly opened the car door herself. The incident started when a shopper, identified in Instagram comments as Ani Sanati, noticed children inside an unattended car, according to the New York Post.

Before the altercation began, she reportedly contacted police and spoke with a store manager. That account has not been verified, as it comes from an Instagram comment by Sanati’s friend. The friend also claimed that police told Sanati to open the vehicle if it was unlocked, and that the mother was paged over the store intercom. However, the mother of the children objected to a stranger opening her car, and the confrontation outside Trader Joe’s turned physical.

The footage posted to Instagram does not show who struck first, as it begins with the two women already fighting. Children can be heard screaming from inside the vehicle while the mother grabs the shopper by her hair. “You’re doing this to my kid, you opened my car door,” the mother said. Bystanders and Trader Joe’s employees eventually stepped in to try to de-escalate the conflict.

The video starts after the fight had already begun

The mother can be heard saying, “She assaulted me first,” while an employee tried to remove her hands from Sanati. The caption accompanying the video on Instagram stated, “This is Trader Joe’s we not messing around no more.” The mother eventually released the shopper, who thanked the Trader Joe’s employee and quickly walked away. “That’s fine you’re gonna get sued,” the mother said at the end of the video.

A commenter who said she witnessed the incident wrote that the mother then drove off, and that police arrived after she had left. The same commenter claimed the children were inside the car with the windows up and that two women were trying to help them. Sanati’s friend wrote that one of the children was a baby and the other was under six. Police have not confirmed either account of what happened before the recording.

Sanati’s friend wrote that leaving children unattended in a car is wrong regardless of the online debate. However, other users defended the mother, with one writing, “I would have panicked. What would another mother do?”

California law shields bystanders from liability for property damage or trespass when they enter a vehicle to rescue a child six or younger they believe is at risk from heat, cold or lack of ventilation. The law also requires the rescuer to use no more force than necessary and to stay with the child until emergency responders arrive.