'I wanted people to see his face': Witness who recorded alleged McDonald's assault says suspect just 'lost it'
Kate Rebel wants people to watch the full one minute and 21 seconds of video.
Rebel, who didn’t want to use her real last name, recorded a troubling encounter Tuesday afternoon that appears to show a customer verbally berating, then physically attacking staff at a Richmond McDonald’s.
“I’ve never seen anything like that before,” Rebel told CTV News on Thursday.
“Once he whipped the garbage can over (the counter), I think it clicked it to what was happening. It’s really scary,” she added.
The video, which Rebel posted on TikTok, appears to show the customer arguing with staff about his order, which she said she overheard was a Happy Meal.
In the video, a worker tells the man they plan to give him a refund.
He approaches the counter, then shoves over a plexiglass barrier.
A few seconds later, the video shows the man hurl the garbage can over, then destroy a refrigerated display case, sending glass everywhere, Rebel said.
“He didn’t seem intoxicated or on anything,” she added. “He just kind of lost it.”
Police arrested 30-year-old William David Scott Jolly, of Delta, who now faces charges that include mischief, assault with a weapon and assault of a peace officer.
Richmond Mounties – who said they’re seeing an uptick in confrontational, aggressive behaviour from customers directed at front-line workers – say they’re looking into whether mental health may have played a role.
“Clearly this man was not only resistant, he was combative with our officers,” said Cpl. Ian Henderson. “His reaction is completely disproportional.”
Two workers and two officers suffered minor injuries, Henderson added. All are doing OK.
“This incident was quite traumatic for everyone involved,” Henderson said, calling the suspect’s behaviour “totally inappropriate.”
Henderson declined to discuss Rebel’s video directly, pointing to the fact such videos were now part of a criminal investigation.
Rebel said she posted the video of the suspect because she “wanted to people to see his face, to see what he did, to see how awful it was.”
Jolly has been released on bail. His next court appearance is scheduled for Aug. 18.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.