Workplace violence at a grocery store: Your rights in California

A Save Mart employee in Marysville died after a stabbing at the store on Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026, police said. Our thoughts are with the employee’s family, coworkers and everyone affected. When violence happens at work, California law gives workers and families specific protections: a workplace violence prevention plan at most job sites, the right to report concerns without retaliation, workers’ compensation for physical and mental injuries, and death benefits for dependents.

1. What happened

ABC10 reported on Oct. 12, 2026, that Marysville police said a Save Mart employee was fatally stabbed and another man was seriously injured on Sunday afternoon at the store on J Street. Officers arrived shortly after 2 p.m. and found the suspect being restrained by people at the store. First responders tried to save the employee, but he died at the scene, according to the report.

Watch the KCRA 3 report: “Marysville Save Mart worker killed in grocery store stabbing; bystanders detain attacker” (KCRA 3, October 12, 2026)

CBS Sacramento reported on Oct. 13, 2026, that police arrested a man on suspicion of homicide and assault with a deadly weapon, and that investigators said the two did not know each other and described the attack as isolated. A bystander who stepped in was stabbed in the arm. The suspect pleaded not guilty; charges are allegations, and he is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

Save Mart called the attack a “senseless act of violence,” said its focus is supporting the employee’s family and the store’s team members, and said it is cooperating fully with Marysville police, who are handling the investigation. We are not commenting on this incident or on any employer’s safety practices.

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2. California’s workplace violence prevention law

Senate Bill 553 added Labor Code §6401.9, enforceable since July 1, 2024. It covers most California workplaces, including grocery and retail stores. Exceptions include health care facilities under Cal/OSHA’s separate health care standard, certain law enforcement agencies, employees teleworking from a place of their choice, and small workplaces closed to the public with fewer than 10 employees on site that follow Cal/OSHA’s general injury prevention rules.

A covered employer must keep a written Workplace Violence Prevention Plan available to employees at all times. Among other things, the plan must:

• Name the people responsible for it and involve employees and their representatives.
• Set procedures to accept and respond to reports of violence, let employees report to the employer or law enforcement without fear of reprisal, and prohibit retaliation.
• Explain how employees are alerted to emergencies, evacuation or sheltering plans, and how to get help from staff, security or law enforcement.
• Require hazard inspections when the plan starts, after each incident and when new hazards appear, plus post-incident investigation and at least yearly review.

The employer must log every workplace violence incident (without personal identifying information), train employees when the plan starts and every year after, and keep incident and hazard records for five years and training records for one year. You or your representative can request these records free of charge, and the employer must provide them within 15 calendar days. See Cal/OSHA’s workplace violence page and our retail worker rights guide.

An earlier version of SB 553 would have barred employers from requiring most employees to confront active shooters or suspected shoplifters, but that language was removed in August 2023, before the bill passed. Separately, Labor Code §6311 protects a worker from being fired for refusing work that would violate a safety standard and create a real and apparent hazard.

Key fact

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3. Reporting safety concerns without retaliation

Under Labor Code §6310, an employer may not fire, demote, threaten or otherwise discriminate against you for making a good-faith complaint about unsafe working conditions to the employer, Cal/OSHA or another agency. A worker who is retaliated against may be entitled to reinstatement and lost wages and work benefits.

You can file a safety complaint with your nearest Cal/OSHA district office by phone or email, and by law your name is kept confidential unless you ask otherwise (see how to file a Cal/OSHA complaint). The Labor Commissioner’s Office investigates retaliation, and a retaliation complaint generally must be filed within one year. More on retaliation claims in California.

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4. Workers’ comp for injuries from an assault at work

California workers’ compensation covers injuries “arising out of and in the course of the employment,” without regard to fault (Labor Code §3600). An employee hurt by a customer, a stranger or a coworker while working is generally covered. One exception: benefits are barred if the injury arose from an altercation in which the injured employee was the initial physical aggressor. Our earlier guide asks whether workplace assaults are covered by workers’ comp.

Your employer must give or mail you a DWC-1 claim form within one working day after learning of your injury. Within one working day after you file the claim form, the employer must authorize medical treatment, up to $10,000, until it accepts or rejects the claim. If the claim isn’t rejected within 90 days, the injury is presumed compensable (Labor Code §5402).

If you can’t work while you recover, temporary disability generally pays two-thirds of your average weekly wage, between $264.61 and $1,764.11 per week for 2026.

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5. Mental health injuries for workers who witness violence

Coworkers who see or are caught up in an attack can suffer post-traumatic stress, anxiety or depression. Labor Code §3208.3 sets special rules for psychiatric claims:

• A lower causation standard for violent acts. Most psychiatric claims require proof that work events were “predominant as to all causes combined.” If you were the victim of a violent act or directly exposed to a significant violent act, you need to show work was a substantial cause, meaning at least 35 to 40 percent of all causes combined.
• The six-month rule and its exception. Psychiatric claims generally require six months of employment with that employer, but not if the injury was caused by a sudden and extraordinary employment condition. Whether an event qualifies depends on the facts.
• A diagnosis is required. The condition must cause disability or a need for treatment and be diagnosed under accepted psychiatric standards.

Hypothetical example. Dana has worked as a grocery cashier for four months when a customer attacks a coworker near her register. Afterward she can’t sleep and panics at work. She reports it, files a claim form and sees a doctor, who diagnoses post-traumatic stress disorder. Because she was directly exposed to a significant violent act, the lower causation standard may apply, and the sudden and extraordinary exception may apply to the six-month rule. See our guide for workers who witness or experience a violent act at work.

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6. Death benefits for families

When a work injury causes death, the employer’s workers’ comp insurer must pay reasonable burial expenses and a death benefit to the worker’s dependents (Labor Code §§4701, 4702). For injuries on or after January 1, 2006:

Dependents	Death benefit
One total dependent, no partial dependents	$250,000
One total dependent plus partial dependents	$250,000 plus four times the annual support given to partial dependents, up to $290,000
Two total dependents	$290,000
Three or more total dependents	$320,000
Partial dependents only	Eight times the annual support given, up to $250,000
Burial expenses (injuries on or after January 1, 2013)	Up to $10,000

The death benefit is generally paid in installments at the worker’s temporary disability rate, never less than $224 per week. If a totally dependent minor child survives, payments continue until the youngest child turns 18, and longer for a child unable to earn a living because of a disability (Labor Code §4703.5). A death claim generally must be filed within one year of the date of death and no more than 240 weeks after the injury (Labor Code §5406). See the state’s guidebook chapter on death benefits and our guide to workers’ comp death claims.

Death benefitUp to $320,000

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7. Workplace violence restraining orders

An employer, or since 2025 an employee’s union representative, may ask a court for a workplace violence restraining order on behalf of an employee who has suffered harassment, unlawful violence or a credible threat of violence at the workplace (Code of Civil Procedure §527.8). The order may cover other employees, and the employee must first be given the chance to decline to be named. An order after a hearing can last up to three years and may be renewed. It cannot bar constitutionally protected speech or protected labor activity.

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8. Steps to take after violence at work

1. Get medical care, including mental health care, and tell the provider it happened at work.
2. Report the injury in writing to your supervisor, ask for a DWC-1 claim form and keep copies.
3. Write down what you remember: dates, times, who was present and any earlier threats you reported.
4. Request the incident log and training records if you need them.
5. Raise safety concerns with your employer, union representative or Cal/OSHA.
6. Get help early. The DWC’s claim filing page explains the process.

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Laws this article relies on

Law	What it does here
Labor Code §6401.9	Workplace Violence Prevention Plans
Labor Code §§3600, 3208.3	Workers’ comp, including psychiatric injury
Labor Code §§4701, 4702	Death and burial benefits

News sources: ABC10 (October 12, 2026); CBS Sacramento (October 13, 2026).

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Frequently asked questions

Does my store need a workplace violence prevention plan?

Most California workplaces open to the public, including grocery and retail stores, must have one. It must be available to employees at all times, so you can ask to see it.

Can I be fired for refusing to confront a shoplifter or an attacker?

Labor Code §§6310 and 6311 protect workers who complain about unsafe conditions or refuse work that would violate a safety standard and create a real and apparent hazard. Whether they apply depends on the facts.

I saw a coworker attacked but wasn’t physically hurt. Can I file a claim?

Possibly. Psychiatric injuries can be compensable, and workers directly exposed to a significant violent act face a lower causation standard. You will need a diagnosis from a qualified doctor.

Can a family sue the employer after a worker is killed on the job?

In most cases, workers’ comp death benefits are the family’s remedy against the employer, though claims against third parties may also exist.

How long does a family have to file a death claim?

Generally one year from the date of death, and no more than 240 weeks from the injury (Labor Code §5406).

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Talk to a California workers’ comp lawyer

Employees First Labor Law represents workers exclusively, including injured workers and families who have lost a loved one on the job. We offer free virtual consultations to explain your workers’ comp and workplace safety rights. Contact us or call (310) 853-3461, and learn more about our workers’ compensation practice.

This article is general information about California law as of 2026, not legal advice for your situation. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship.