Police identify woman after hot coffee attack at Michigan McDonald’s

Video shows woman throwing hot coffee at McDonald’s manager; police identify suspect

Authorities in Buena Vista Township, Michigan, say they have identified a woman accused of throwing scalding coffee at a McDonald’s manager during an argument over a refund, an incident that was caught on video and widely shared online.

Police responded to the McDonald’s on Dixie Highway on the morning of November 4, after the restaurant’s manager called 911 to report being assaulted by an irate customer, said Buena Vista Township Police Detective Russ Pahssen.

According to investigators, the woman had placed an online order and requested a refund for two sandwiches. When the discussion became tense, another customer began recording the encounter at the front counter.

The footage shows the manager handing the customer a cup of coffee and attempting to calm her down as the woman complained about waiting for more than an hour. When the conversation reached a dead end, the manager wished her a good day and turned to walk away.

The customer then shouted profanities, removed the lid from her cup, and hurled the hot coffee at the manager’s back. The manager screamed in pain as the liquid struck her back and left arm, resulting in minor burns, Pahssen said.

 

 

 

 

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Police later released the video on Facebook asking for help identifying the suspect.

“I must have gotten about 100 tips,” Pahssen said. “Within about two minutes, we had her identified.”

Officers have identified the suspect as a 48-year-old woman but have not yet located her. A request for felonious assault charges has been submitted to the Saginaw County Prosecutor’s Office, Pahssen added.

The manager is expected to recover from her injuries.