Throwing A Gumball Machine At Restaurant Staff Is No Way To Resolve A Pizza Dispute

(frankieleon)

In the annals of customer service requests marked down over time, there is no entry about getting your way that starts with, “Pick up a gumball machine and chuck it.” And after a pizzeria customer allegedly did just that, nothing is going to change.

A man in Massachusetts who was reportedly upset about not getting his pizza in a timely manner took things into his own hands, police say.

According to Masslive.com, the suspect was waiting for the pizza he’d ordered with his girlfriend. After half an hour, he “felt that it took too long. He said that he was out of here, that he wanted his money back,” a police captain said.

His order was ready soon afterward, and the worker says he gave the man both his pizza and his money back. But the suspect claimed the worker threw both items at him.

Cops say that’s when the customer picked up a gumball machine and threw it at the clerk, hitting him in the leg but not injuring him. He’s then accused of pushing the cash register off the counter and tossing a clock, breaking it, before allegedly trying to “make his way around the other side of the counter.”

Another customer apparently filmed the encounter on his phone, which caused another altercation outside as he continued to film, police say. The suspect allegedly smashed the other customer’s phone and punched him a few times.

He was arrested by police shortly after driving away in his truck, and was charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon (the gumball machine,) two counts of assault and battery, malicious destruction of property (the clock,) larceny over $250 (the cell phone) and vandalizing property.

Holyoke man arrested after allegedly attacking worker with gumball machine, smashing Ludlow man’s cell phone at Mimmo’s Pizza in Northampton [Masslive.com]

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist