Pastor arrested for attempting to shove McDonald’s employee’s head into deep fryer in altercation
A North Carolina pastor was arrested following an altercation with a McDonald's employee in which he allegedly attempted to shove the worker’s head in the restaurant’s deep fryer after punching him in the face multiple times, according to police.
Fifty-seven-year-old Pastor Dwayne Waden of Elevated Life International Ministries in High Point was arrested on Dec. 28 after an alleged physical altercation with 34-year-old McDonald’s employee Theodore Garlington.
According to the police report, Waden’s wife, Latoya Gladney, was training to be a manager when employees began "disrespecting" her, and she subsequently called her husband for assistance, according to NBC affiliate WCNC.
The pastor reportedly went to the McDonald’s location to assist his wife. When he arrived, he went behind the service counter and walked toward one of the cooks.
The police report states that the pastor then “placed his hands around the neck of the victim pushing his head toward the deep fryer. The offender also punched the victim several times on the face, and did not stop until several employees pulled the [pastor] off the victim.”
As a result of the attack, the employee “suffered from a large contusion to the forehead and right eye” and scratches on his neck. The victim’s family rushed him to the hospital because he refused to be transported by ambulance.
Waden, who states on his Facebook page that he's also a semi-truck driver, was arrested and released on Dec. 29 after posting a $1,000 bond. He is scheduled to make a court appearance on Jan. 22.
The restaurant’s surveillance cameras caught the incident on video.
Waden’s wife is no longer employed by McDonald’s, according to NBC News, which said a spokesperson for the local franchise said, “the safety and security of our employees and customers is our top priority.”
Nicole Alcindor is a reporter for The Christian Post.
