A disagreement about a food order late last month at a Wendy’s restaurant in Prescott Valley, Arizona, has led to one man dead and another charged with his murder.
Originally accused of aggravated assault, Antoine Kendrick, 35, has now been charged with second-degree murder after the 67-year-old customer he struck in the head on July 26 succumbed to his injuries on August 5.
Both the restaurant and Wendy’s corporate office have yet to comment on the incident, either on the day it occurred or now in light of the revelation that one of the restaurant’s customers has died allegedly as the result of actions taken by one of its employees.
Kendrick was arrested on multiple other occasions in Tennessee. In 2013, he was charged with multiple counts of aggravated assault as well as with resisting arrest. In 2016, he was charged with aggravated criminal trespass, aggravated assault, and evading arrest. In 2019, he was charged with harassment and again with aggravated assault.
What’s the background?
Antoine Kendrick, 35, was initially charged with aggravated assault for allegedly sucker-punching a customer after taking the man’s order at a restaurant on Glassford Hill Road in Prescott Valley, Arizona, on July 26.
According to the Prescott Valley Police Department, at approximately 4:41 p.m., Kendrick had a dispute with an elderly man about a food order. Kendrick allegedly came around the service counter and struck the victim in the head without warning, as can be seen in the surveillance footage released on August 8.
Upon falling, the unconscious victim incurred additional injuries as his head struck the floor. The victim was tended to by police officers who reported to the scene, along with members of the Central Arizona Fire and Medical Authority, prior to being airlifted to a hospital in the Phoenix area. He died in the hospital on August 5.
One customer told CBS 5: “That was a Mike Tyson hit. … The customer didn’t touch him, so he had no right to touch the customer, period, end of story.”
Immediately after the attack, Kendrick is said to have looked at the unconscious man, retreated behind the counter to grab some belongings, and left the scene.