An elderly woman died in Indiana after getting into a fight with a Tim Hortons worker over an issue with her drive-thru order, police say.
Surveillance footage released by the Fort Wayne Police Department showed Anita Grayson, 75, entering the coffee shop on May 13.
According to the department, Grayson had entered the Tim Horton’s location just after 8 a.m. “to address an issue she had received through the drive-thru.”
Once inside, footage showed Grayson approach the counter where she began “berating” a 17-year-old female employee, cops said. A 20-year-old shift lead then stepped between the pair and repeatedly told Grayson to leave the business, they added.
In the footage Grayson can be seen pushing the shift lead before hitting her in the face. The shift lead then leaps towards the elderly woman swinging her arms and causing the pair to fall to the ground.
According to FWPD, during the fight Grayson grabbed at the shift lead’s face, causing her glasses to come off. She also pulled out a chunk of the woman’s hair, the force said.
The two women were eventually separated by two other Tim Horton’s employees. The employees returned back round to the counter and Grayson is seen sitting at a table, where she began talking on a cell phone, according to FWDP.
Soon after she laid down on the floor. The shift lead checked on her and brought her a cup of water, police said, though this was not shown in the footage.
A FWPD officer then arrived and found Grayson unresponsive. Medics performed life-saving measures and she was transported from the scene but later pronounced dead by medical personnel.
Grayson’s daughter, Tawnda Grayson, said her mom had congestive heart failure, had just gotten a new heart doctor and was wearing a heart monitor a week before the incident.
“My mother was wronged in the worst way,” she told 21Alive. “I lost the matriarch of my family.”
“You should not enter a coffee shop for a coffee and a doughnut and come out unalived. That is diabolical.”
She added: “That’s the elderly lady. That’s not how we treat our senior citizens…We be careful with them. We make sure that they’re alright. We don’t jump on them and attack them. And scare them to death.”
The FWPD said it had not initially planned on releasing the footage, but did so counter “a dangerously false narrative” about the event that was circulating online.
“FWPD understands the public concern surrounding this case. We also recognize the importance of transparency, accuracy, and allowing the investigative and prosecutorial review process to proceed based on the full body of evidence, not incomplete video clips or inaccurate public narratives,” the force added.
The Independent has contacted the Fort Wayne Police Department for comment and updates on the incident.
In a statement shared with The Independent, a spokesperson for Tim Horton’s said: “We were deeply saddened to learn about this incident and our heartfelt condolences go out to the loved ones of Anita Grayson.
“The health and safety of our guests and team members is our highest priority and the local franchisee has been cooperating fully with the police.”
The Allen County Coroner’s Office has yet to rule on Grayson’s cause and manner of death, according to FWPD. However, WPTA reported that preliminary findings showed there were “no significant contributory injuries.”
