JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – McDonald's is investigating after cell phone video surfaced that appears to show a customer being slapped by a restaurant employee Thursday at lunch time.
A man who was in the video said he watched the scene unfold inside the McDonald's at St. Johns Bluff Road and Beach Boulevard. He asked not to be identified, and said the video only tells part of the story.
The witness said the employee appeared to be a manager. He said she was being verbally abusive to her employees, and the customer complained about her behavior. The two argued, and things escalated.
"The customer took her whole cup of Coke and threw it at the manager," the witness said. "The manager came out from behind the counter, confronted the lady, kind of butted her up against the counter, slapped her face, knocked her glasses off."'
UPDATE: McDonald's employee tells her side of story
VIDEO: McDonald's employee slaps customer
The franchise owner released a statement about the incident:
I do not condone the behavior depicted in this video. We are currently investigating this matter.
Criminal defense attorney Gene Nichols told News4Jax the employee could be charged with battery, and the customer too could face charges. However, Nichols said it's unlikely a lawyer would want to take the case if McDonald's is sued.
"McDonald's will dig their heels in the sand and blame the plaintiff all the way through," Nichols said.
It's unclear if the customer was hurt or if a police report was filed. The employee did not return to work Friday.