Teen Claims Burger King Owner Assaulted Him Over Water Cup

A Phoenix, Ariz. teenager has filed a formal complaint with Burger King accusing a franchise owner of assaulting him. According to ABC 15, TJ Abdullah says that he regularly visits a location of the chain near his job. However, that will likely change after an incident that took place last Thursday. Abdullah claims that when he was filling his cup with water, a manager came out and accused him of filling it with soda. The owner, Tom Broatch, then came out and tried to force him to leave.

Abdullah says that Broatch disrespected him and got physical: "He was disrespecting me, calling me boy, holding my food out the door." A video of the incident recorded by another customer shows Broatch grabbing Abdullah's shirt and both can be heard swearing at one another. The teen claims that Broach also spit in his face but the owner says that he was simply "blowing air in an attempt to get the teen to back up."

Broatch adds that Abdullah "has repeatedly tried to steal soda using water cups" in the past. "I don't want any trouble, I just want this to go away, it's stealing and i'm just trying to make a living," notes Broatch. When police responded to the fight, Abdullah was cited for disorderly conduct.

This is far from the first time customers have gotten into physical fights with fast food employees. Last month, 24-year-old Laresha Marie Uting went through a Taco Bell drive-thru with two of her friends and received an incorrect order. She was so angry, she walked into the store, swore at the staff, and then threw a chair at the employees behind the counter. In March, a customer at a McDonald's in Georgia was so upset at being accidentally overcharged that he choked and punched the cashier. Check out the local news story below: