Marion County sheriff’s deputies were called after an altercation took place in the drive-through lane at a Taco Bell in Ocala on Thursday evening.
Sheriff’s deputies responded to the Taco Bell located at 13545 SW 17th Circle, in reference to two separate calls on the same incident, according to an incident report. The manager at Taco Bell called in about an irate customer at the drive-through window, while a 41-year-old customer also called in reference to the same incident, but alleged that the manager threw food at him through the drive-through window, the report stated. Upon arrival, a deputy spoke with the manager, along with two other managers that were present during the incident, who advised that the customer had already left the location prior to the deputy’s arrival. They advised that after the customer ordered food at the speaker and then paid for it at the first window, he pulled up to the second window to receive his order, but was not satisfied. The customer became upset and threw the food back at one of the managers because “he did not want to pay that much money for the food he received.” The manager who reported the incident then attempted to speak with the customer and handed him a satisfactory order, but advised that when she stuck her arm out to hand the food over, the customer became aggressive and started to snatch the food from her hand, causing her to let go of the food. The managers believed the food fell on the ground.
The deputy called the customer , who was extremely irate and upset, and he continuously cut the deputy off and yelled at him through the phone, according to the report. The customer said Taco Bell had stolen his money and food, and that the manager at the window threw food on him. The customer wanted the manager arrested and advised he ordered his food and paid for it. After an attempt to resolve the situation, the customer said the manager threw food at him, cussed at him and made him leave without receiving his food.The customer also cussed at the manager through the window, according to the report.
Security cameras were not working at the time of the incident. Due to the managers’ corroborating statements, the deputy did not believe there was sufficient evidence to make an arrest. After the customer was told no arrest could be made, he expressed how unhappy he was and wanted his money back from Taco Bell. After the deputy went back to Taco Bell and was given a $5 bill by the reporting manager, the deputy called the customer, who said he didn’t want it anymore.
