A McDonald’s worker was reportedly assaulted during a bizarre interaction with a customer.
According to reports, a female employee was struck by a customer who was apparently angry after being offered a free cup of water. A second female employee was reportedly hit when she attempted to intervene.
The incident occurred on Friday at a McDonald’s in Midtown, Tenn., Local 12 reports. According to the outlet, the 44-year-old suspect approached the counter and asked for a cup of water. The cashier reportedly informed the man that the cup would normally cost 32 cents, but since the system was down, she offered the cup for free.
At this point, the suspect reportedly became upset and attempted to give the employee a $100 bill. After she returned it and wouldn’t accept it, he reportedly began to hit her in the face, knocking her to the ground.
When another employee attempted to intervene, the suspect struck her as well. According to the outlet, he threw a cookie container at the cashier, although it did not hit her. He then left the restaurant.
Police later arrested the man and charged him with two counts of assault and possession of drug paraphernalia.
This is just one of the latest incidents of violence to occur against McDonald’s employees.
A teenage McDonald’s worker in Greenfield, Wisc., reportedly resigned from her job after she was punched in the face by a customer. According to her, the assailant was angry about waiting too long for her food.
The 17-year-old employee, Serena, exchanged heated words with the customer before the assault occurred, KWTX reports. She told the outlet, however, that she didn’t expect the woman to come behind the counter and strike her.
The customer was reportedly upset that the restaurant took too long to cook her bacon.