They should've taken her credit cards and gone on a shopping spree before calling the cops. That woman is exactly why we can't get the virus under control.
"Two wrongs don't make a right," as the saying goes. Gratifying, yes; An appropriate response, no.
Assuming there was no injury from the flying shoeboxes, hitting her with an assault & battery charge is a bit of a reach. If the store staff is seriously motivated, maybe "breach of the peace." All this changes if she made a racial remark or threat.
What would I do? Take the wallet back to the station and write the report. Then contact her, and give her a serious lecture when she comes to claim it.
That woman should be prosecuted for assault and battery. She has enough of a temper I would bet she does Domestic Violence as well. Hope they got her license plate number and reported her to the police.
I thought it was somewhat dangerous to follow the woman outside and stand behind the vehicle (the one recording the incident). You never know what a person might do when he/she is upset.
But what's an appropriate response here? The woman was out of control and rude. Should she be out-Karened? Doxed at home and work, shamed, ostracized, fired? All too often, people's responses seem to be, "You offended me, so I'll out-offend you and make sure you really suffer!"
We only have this one rude event. We don't know if she has a history of this, or if this was one very exceptional and bad day. Or what she said leading up to the event. Or what the local cops did when contacting her, or her later response. Was she apologetic and contrite? Still angry and blaming others Let's assume she carried that attitude all the way to the precinct station. The video is evidence of her driving--without her license in possession. In my state, that's a $50 ticket, also an insurance surchargeable event. You see, there are all sorts of things a cop can do, some direct, others indirect.
I didn't say anything about her, what she did, or what should happen to her. I merely explained the usual legal standard for assault.
If it matters, I would prefer the solution you outlined above although I do think that there is benefit from shaming people who insist on endangering others.
I think it boils down to just how much does somebody (the clerk, the police, the mall) want to deal with this twit? Absent other indicators such as threatening response, return visits, etc. we have to realize the world has plenty of rude people and the simplest thing may be to just let it go.
A young man had gotten into a fight, and rolled in the mud spoiling his favorite coat. He wanted to go after his adversary immediately and settle the score. An old man told him to wait until the next day when the mud on his coat had dried. "Why should I?" demanded the youngster. "Because once the mud is dried, you'll find that most of it will brush off quite easily. Same as your anger."