GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker says a fight between a man and multiple teenage employees at a Wyoming Burger King will not result in charges.
The incident happened at Burger King on 28th Street in Wyoming around 1 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 4. An angry customer who had gone through the drive-thru entered the store and that's when surveillance footage showed the argument escalate to violence. A 17-year-old shift leader and a 15-year-old employee were injured during the melee with the adult man.
"The simple matter is, it was a fight," Becker said. "A fight occurred, and two people were injured, but there's just not a basis for us to file charges."
At a press conference, Becker showed key surveillance footage from the encounter at the Burger King. In the video, the customer can be seen in the drive-thru sending his drink back, apparently because pop had spilled down the side.
The manager then wipes the drink down and hands it back to the customer, who ultimately knocks it onto the ground and drives away from the drive-thru window.
The customer then came inside the store and got into an argument with an employee behind the counter. He jumped over the counter, grabbed a cup and returned to the lobby, where he began dumping liquid on the lobby floor.
Multiple employees behind the counter were arguing with him at this time. Becker said the customer could have been charged with creating a disturbance, but an employee then threw iced coffee on the customer, which Becker says is assault.
The customer then refills his cup, throws it at an employee behind the counter and leaves the store. As he enters the vestibule, Becker says an employee aggressively pursued him by jumping over the counter and entering the vestibule after him. Several other employees also came in after them.
"At that point in time, the fight's on," he said. "When you talk about mutual combatants, this is what's going on here. And you have a number of individuals and nobody has a good version of what exactly occurred in there, but it's a fight."
Becker said he could charge multiple people in the incident with misdemeanors, but he said the complexity makes it difficult to do so.
"We have the whole issue of defendants and victims across the aisle, but this is a wash, and that's why we're not filing charges," he said.
Becker also made clear that he does not condone the behavior.
Earlier this week, the 17-year-old shift leader shared her side of the story.
"He just picks me up and he body slams while we're in-between the entrance doors," she said. "Body slams me on my head and everyone comes running. He's kicking and punching me and one of the 15-year-olds came to help me. She got her jaw broken and her teeth knocked out in the midst of it."
She said the wound on her head needed stitches.
Becker said it was unfortunate the workers were injured in the incident, but that he could not criminally charge the customer for assault in this case.
Watch the full surveillance video below:
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