Florida Man Attacks McDonald's Employee Over Straw Policy

Video of a Florida man attacking a McDonald's employee recently went viral, and it turns out his aggression was all over a straw policy.

According to Buzzfeed, the woman who filmed the chaotic scene at a St. Petersburg restaurant revealed that the man — 40-year-old Daniel Taylor — was upset about the store's new policy to not leave straws out.

"It was all over a straw," she stated. "He yelled at the employees, 'Theres no drinking straws here, it looks like someone is not doing their job.' " At this point, the employee explained that it was due to a new company policy, and that customers could request a straw.

"He was very upset, he started berating her, swearing, saying 'There's no law like that.' She said, 'Yes it is, we're not allowed to put straws out,' " Biandudi added. "The voices were escalating, they started swearing at each other." She then shared that she began filming the interaction because she was the only other customer in the store at the time.

Right after Biandudi started filming, Taylor reached out and grabbed the employee's shirt and pulled her towards him. She began to fight back, clearly afraid for her safety.

The two went back and forth for a few seconds, but eventually other employees were able to pull Taylor off her. He reportedly stated that he wanted her fired, but someone told him that he was going to jail instead.

Subsequently, Taylor was in fact arrested and booked on two counts of battery. The second count of battery appears to be due to Taylor— who is reportedly homeless and was said to be drunk during the encounter— allegedly kicking another employee on his way out of McDonald's.

"The defendant was being escorted out of the business by management due to him battering another employee, and causing a disturbance," Taylor's arrest report read. "The defendant kicked the victim in the stomach while she was standing near the exit door."

"I want the girl to keep her job, and all the employees to keep their jobs... I just feel sorry for the girl, she told me she just had a baby two months ago," Biandudi said of why she came forward with the video and what she witnessed.

There have been reports of the employee being fired, but that does not appear to have been confirmed. Buzzfeed stated that they reached out to the employees and the McDonald's corporation for comment but had not yet heard back.