A Florida man found himself behind bars this week after he allegedly threw a sandwich at a fast food worker.
According to a probable cause affidavit obtained by the Smoking Gun, the incident went down around 5 p.m. Tuesday at a Subway location in Stuart, Florida. Authorities say 54-year-old Alberto De Barros ordered an unspecified sandwich but became upset after realizing it was not cut in half.
Subway employee Cassandra Pierre-Louis told authorities De Barros caused a “disruptive scene” after they got into a “brief verbal exchange.” As tensions escalated, the worker told De Barros she would no longer serve him, which prompted the patron to pull out his phone and seemingly make a call. The employee told police that while De Barros was on the phone, he grabbed a sandwich off the counter and threw it over, ultimately hitting Pierre-Louis in the “mid to lower body section.”
The incident was reportedly witnessed by Pierre-Louis’ co-worker Federico Garcia Ola.
De Barros then left the restaurant and headed toward his car; however, Pierre-Louis followed closely behind and filmed the man’s disruptive demeanor as he left the scene. The worker also managed to capture De Barros’ license plate number and immediately alerted authorities as well as her manager. Law enforcement reviewed the cellphone video as well as the Subway surveillance footage, which showed the man hitting Pierre-Louis with the sandwich.
The unruly patron was questioned by Martin County Sheriff’s deputies soon after at his home and admitted to throwing a sandwich because he was angry about his order. De Barros insisted he never intended to hit Pierre-Louis.
He was then arrested for misdemeanor battery and booked into Martin County Jail. He was released Wednesday on a $1,000 bond and is expected to be arraigned on Feb. 1.
The Subway incident took place about four months after an Ohio woman was arrested for assaulting a Chipotle worker. The attack happened in early September in Parma, where Rosemary Lynn Hayne was filmed hurling a burrito bowl at Chipotle manager Emily Russell. The perpetrator allegedly became upset after she received the wrong order and began shouting at the employees before throwing the food. Hayne ultimately pleaded guilty to one count of assault and was sentenced to work 20 hours a week at a fast-food joint over the course of two months.
