A Wendy’s employee and a customer were both arrested after violent confrontation at the drive-thru window.
An officer responded to Wendy’s, located at 917 N. 14th St., regarding a female customer, later identified as 35-year-old M D N T, in the drive-thru who threw drinks at an employee, later identified as 21-year-old J T G, and was actively in a physical altercation around 7 p.m. Dec. 23, according to an arrest report from the Leesburg Police Department.
Upon arrival, the officer met with the on-duty manager and three employees to begin gathering details of the incident. The manager stated G was working at the drive-thru counter when she overheard a disturbance. G asked for her assistance because a customer requested a manager, the report said.
The manager explained T was at the drive-thru speaker ordering her food, and G asked what sauces she wanted for her order. G told her they only had two sauces available. T cursed while asking why they offered sauces they were out of, the report said.
After completing her order, T sped around to the drive-thru window and became extremely confrontational with G about the sauces. The manager advised G to explain to her that they were simply out of most of the sauces, but T told her to “shut up” because she was on the phone, the report said.
G tried to avoid the confrontation and handed T the drinks that went with her order. She took the drinks and threw them through the drive-thru window. The drinks hit the floor, causing the lids to come off and the contents to splash on the manager’s, G’s and another female employee’s shirts. The liquid also splashed onto a male employee’s right forearm, the report said.
G closed the drive-thru window, but Taratuta re-opened it and threw another cup containing soda through the window. This splashed on G again. G then selected the largest cup Wendy’s offered, filled it with soda from the drink machine and threw it into T’s vehicle, the report said.
G decided to exit the business and walk toward the vehicle to get the license plate number while the manager contacted the LPD for assistance. As G approached, Taratuta drove forward and pinned her against the wall of the drive-thru. G was able to squeeze herself away from the wall and walked to the front driver’s side window of the vehicle. She struck T with a closed fist through the open window before coming back inside the business, the report said.
The officer next spoke to G whose statement was similar to the manager’s story, except she said T threw her drinks into the window, then G threw one back before T threw another drink through the window that hit the male employee. She also admitted to striking T with a closed fist in “self-defense.” She stated she received two small abrasions on her left hand near her knuckles as a result of being pinned against the brick wall of the drive-thru area, the report said.
The male employee explained he was preparing food orders at his workstation, which was just to the left of the drive-thru window, when T drove up. She became upset due to Wendy’s being out of the sauces she wanted with her order. She threw a cup of soda through the drive-thru window, causing the liquid inside to splash on G, the manager and the female employee, the report said.
The male employee shouted at T that she was “wrong for that.” She then threw a second soda through the window which splashed onto his right forearm. He decided to throw a bag of food into her vehicle, hitting her. The manager contacted the LPD, so he and G exited the business and walked toward T’s vehicle to get her license plate number, the report said.
While walking toward the vehicle, T drove forward, pinning G between the brick wall and her vehicle. She was able to free herself and struck Taratuta through the open driver’s side window. The male employee and G walked back inside the business at that point, the report said.
The female employee did not wish to give a sworn written statement, instead giving only a very brief verbal statement. She was working at the cashier counter for the customers who came inside to order their food when she heard the disturbance between G and T. She walked toward the drive-thru window and was splashed with soda from the cups thrown through the window by T, the report said.
Another officer was able to speak to T who explained she ordered food at the drive-thru speaker. G became upset due to her asking for certain sauces. After ordering her food, T drove around to the drive-thru window and handed her debit/credit card to G, the report said.
G became more enraged due to T being on the phone and speaking negatively about her to her boyfriend. She disrespectfully handed T her drink order by shoving it toward her. She did not like the service she was receiving from G and threw her drink order back into the drive-thru window, the report said.
G then filled the largest cup they offered with soda and threw it through the window into the vehicle. The manager proceeded to film her with a cell phone. While she was arguing with the manager, Taratuta noticed G and the male employee exiting the business and walking toward her vehicle, the report said.
T did not know their intentions and decided to angle her vehicle toward the wall to keep them away from her. G was able to get through and approached her window to strike her in the face with a closed fist. The two then walked away and went back inside the business, the report said.
The manager, the male employee, the female employee and G stated the cups thrown by T did not hit them, only the liquid inside. All but the female employee wanted to prosecute T, and she wanted to prosecute them, too, the report said.
T advised that the cup G threw and the food the male employee threw did not strike her, but the liquid from the cup splashed on her and the interior of her vehicle. She also suffered a laceration on the inside of her lip from G that actively bled during the investigation, the report said.
The business had a camera on the inside near the drive-thru window facing outward, but the officer was unable to obtain the footage due to the manager not knowing how to work the system.
The manager asked that T be trespassed from the business to prevent further incidents. After completing the warning, she was given a copy and left the location. The manager was also given a copy of the trespass warning after finishing the investigation, the report said.
The officer then made contact with T at Walgreens, located at 2010 Citrus Blvd., and placed her in handcuffs. She was charged with aggravated battery (deadly weapon) and simple battery. She was transported to Lake County Jail and released after posting $6,000 bond.
The officer tried to make contact with Gainey at her residence the next morning without success. She was scheduled to work Thursday, but the start time of her shift was unknown, the report said.
G was ultimately arrested Thursday night on charges of simple battery and burglary – assault or battery (no forced entry). She was taken to Lake County Jail and released after posting $6,000 bond.
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Source: leesburg-news
