November 12. 2019

Warning: video contains violence and inappropriate langue

29-year-old Popeyes employee, Deriance Ra’Shaiel Hughes, was arrested for aggravated assault, over body slamming a woman in the restaurant’s parking lot in Tennessee. Hughes contends 55-year-old customer, Rocky McElhaney, 55, called him a “nig*er” over a refund request that was allegedly met with anger. McElhaney contends he called her an “ugly brokedown cra*ker.” Neither one of them should have been issuing racial slurs.

Hughes and some of his coworkers angrily followed McElhaney out of the restaurant and into the parking lot, upset over his claim that she called him a “nig*er.” In an incident that was caught on video, Hughes is seen picking up McElhaney and slamming her to the ground.

McElhaney screamed in pain when she hit the hard concrete. Two black customers in the parking lot saw what happened and rushed over to aid McElhaney. She was transported to the hospital, where it was discovered she sustained a shattered elbow, six broken ribs and a broken leg.

Deriance Ra’Shaiel Hughes

McElhaney has retained an attorney over the incident. This means Popeyes will be sued for damages and they will be significant if the case prevails, as she was seriously injured. Just because something transpires in a parking lot, does not mean the business is indemnified from legal penalties.

Hughes attacked McElhaney while on duty as a Popeyes employee and the parking lot counts as their premises. If Popeyes rents and does not own the space, the owner of the premises who leased it, could be sued as well, as lawyers will state they did not maintain proper security. They in turn will argue it was Popeyes responsibility to maintain proper security for the safety of their customers, which frankly is not the norm in American fast food restaurants.

This is not the only incident of fights breaking out at Popeyes. This month a man was stabbed to death at a Popeyes in Maryland over their chicken sandwich and the social media hype surrounding it. Recently, a video surfaced online of a Louisiana Popeyes restaurant, where a white customer kept belligerently yelling and screaming the racial slur “nig*er” at black staff and customers, in what was unquestionably racially motivated harassment.

He also issued threats of violence to staff and customers, while issuing the racial slurs. His criminal misconduct technically constitutes a hate crime, as it it illegal to issue threats of violence and he did so while issuing racial slurs. He racially bullied, threatened and intimidated everyone he could in the restaurant, while they peacefully looked on, baffled at his unprovoked hatred.

Things went very wrong for him when he went outside. An offended black customer jumped him and took his sandwich out of anger at the racial slurs he had issued in the restaurant. A black young man is seen holding him down and yelling about the racial slurs that were uttered inside the restaurant by the white customer. He should not have held down the racist, as police would state it is illegal and arrest him. He also risked injury to himself, had the racist been armed.  

It appears racists are going into Popeyes restaurants, due to the publicity surrounding its new chicken sandwich, then deliberately trying to provoke fights by issuing racial slurs and bullying people. When they receive the reaction they desire, these individuals lawyer up and sue Popeyes, which at this rate, is going to wipe out their profits from the new chicken sandwich.

STORY SOURCE

Popeyes worker accused of attacking customer seeking refund

Published 12 hours ago - COLUMBIA, Tenn. - A Popeyes worker recorded throwing a woman onto the pavement outside a restaurant in Tennessee has been charged with felony aggravated assault. 29-year-old Deriance Ra'Shaiel Hughes was arrested Friday. The victim's attorney, Rocky McElhaney, says the 55-year-old woman remains hospitalized with a shattered elbow, six broken ribs and a broken leg. He declined to publicly identify her until authorities do so.

Video shows people wearing Popeyes uniforms racing after her as the woman leaves the restaurant in Columbia last week. One person punches her, and then Hughes is seen grabbing her from behind, raising her into the air and throwing her onto the parking lot. Another uniformed person is seen cheering...

https://www.fox5ny.com