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Law enforcement officials in Edgewood, Maryland, said that a Papa John's employee stabbed a customer in self-defense after he was attacked with a pizza paddle on Wednesday.
The Harford County Sheriff's Office said that an argument began when the customer, 40-year-old Herbert Harris, complained that the pizza he ordered didn't come with garlic sauce and pepperoncinis, news station WMAR reported. Harris allegedly went behind the counter, pushed the employee, 26-year-old Robert Klein, and then started attacking and chasing him with a metal pizza paddle, according to the sheriff's office.
Local news station WNCN reported that Klein then stabbed Harris with a pizza spear in self-defense.
"At that time, Klein, unable to escape the physical assault and in fear of his safety, grabbed a pizza spear to defend himself from the attack, and stabbed Harris in self-defense," the sheriff's office said, according to the station.
After deputies arrived on the scene, Harris was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. He has been charged with second-degree assault.
Newsweek has reached out to the Harford County Sheriff's Office for comment.
Other Incidents of Violence at Fast Food Restaurants
Last year in Wisconsin, an employee at a pizza restaurant was assaulted after a customer refused to wear a mask inside the restaurant. Police said that when the manager asked the man to leave due to his "unruly nature and no mask," the customer allegedly punched the worker in the face.
In a separate incident at a Maryland McDonald's in May, an employee was shot and killed at a drive-thru window in what police believe was a targeted killing.
Police said they didn't believe the murder was random and that the suspect "never entered the restaurant."
In Arizona in June, police said they were investigating an assault at a Wendy's after they said a customer threw her food at a worker when she was given cold fries and nuggets that weren't spicy.
"Upon identifying her fries were cold and her nuggets were NOT spicy, she threw her drink and food bag at the employee," the Casa Grande Police Department said in a statement at the time.
In an incident at a Taco Bell in Los Angeles, police said that a man shot and killed an employee when he refused to accept a fake bill as payment. The suspect allegedly attempted to use a counterfeit bill at the drive-thru window and when the employee declined, he opened fire.
About the writer
Xander Landen is a Newsweek weekend reporter. His focus is often U.S. politics, but he frequently covers other issues including ... Read more