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In March 2021, a Jack-in-the-Box employee in Houston allegedly opened fire on customers over an altercation over missing curly fries. According to ABC13, a recently discovered video shows staffer Alonniea Fantasia Ford committing the alleged act. The video’s release coincides with the plaintiffs’ filing of a lawsuit against Ford and the fast-food eatery.
According to the lawsuit, the incident occurred near the Bush Intercontinental Airport at the eatery. The altercation allegedly took place after Anthony Ramos and his family ordered a combo lunch from the restaurant’s drive-thru. Ramos was behind the wheel at the time.
Ramos, who lives in Florida, was in Houston for work. Ramos was with his wife and their then-6-year-old daughter when they went through the drive-thru.
In the footage of what happened, Ford seemed to be unhappy at Ramos. According to the 2022 complaint, Ramos and his family paid $12.99 for a combination lunch but were not served the curly fries they requested. Following that, there was an argument.
Ford then appears to pull out a gun not long into the altercation, according to the video. She is later seen through the window throwing stuff at the automobile before opening fire on the family. Ramos had to flee quickly to keep himself and his family safe.
“Jack in the Box needs to do a background check on employees so as not to expose their customers to someone who would attempt to kill them,” the family’s lawyer, Randall Kallinen, said in a news release, per ABC13.
The footage in question was made available to Kallinen following a discovery request. The lawsuit also claims Jack-in-the-Box of negligence for failing to ensure client safety. However, in the aftermath of the incident, the restaurant denied the charges, claiming that third parties such as Ford are not within the company’s “control,” and that it is also “not legally responsible” for them.
After being arrested in connection with the incident, Ford was initially charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. She pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of lethal behavior, however, and received a one-year deferred adjudication sentence. According to court documents, she has since served her term.
The family is seeking $250,000 in damages from the defendants.
