Man Who Grabbed McDonald's Employee In Fight Over Straw Receives Jail Time [UPDATED]
March 14, 2019 Update: CBS Miami reports that Daniel Taylor has now been sentenced to 60 days in jail after pleading no contest to two counts of battery regarding the New Year's Eve incident. He will receive credit for the 58 days he has already served, but also has to either pay a thousand dollars in fines or perform nearly 120 hours of community service.
January 3, 2019: On New Year's Eve, a Clearwater man identified by police as Daniel Taylor, became involved in an altercation at a McDonald's in St. Petersburg (say it with me)... Florida. According to Fox 13 News in Tampa Bay, he was apparently demanding a straw, when the McDonald's employee explained that due to new environmental regulations, straws are no longer in the lobby, and have to be requested. (St. Petersburg recently voted to eliminate single-straw use by 2020.) Taylor then (allegedly, but just look at the video) grabbed the employee across the counter, as fellow McDonald's patron Brenda Bianudi filmed. As the video shows, the employee immediately stood her ground and defended herself by fighting back. While Taylor demands that she be fired, she responds, "No, you're going to jail!"
She turned out to be prophetic: Fox 13 reports that Taylor has now been charged with battery, for grabbing the first clerk, and "the arrest affidavit says Taylor injured a second clerk by kicking her in the stomach as he was being escorted out." He then apparently headed out to rob a gas station, where he was apprehended by police. According to arrest records, Taylor is homeless, and is currently in jail. Officers said that he appeared to be intoxicated at the time of his arrest. While the two employees involved in the altercation are not permitted to comment on-air, they "are doing okay and both kept their jobs."