COLUMBIA, Tenn. (AP) — A Tennessee Popeyes restaurant worker filmed throwing a patron into the ground has been charged with felony aggravated assault.
News outlets report 29-year-old Deriance Ra’Shaiel Hughes was arrested Friday. The woman’s attorney, Rocky McElhaney, declined to publicly identify his client until authorities do so. He tells The Tennessean that his 55-year-old client remains hospitalized with nine fractures, six broken ribs and a broken leg.
Video shows people wearing Popeyes uniforms race after the woman as she exited the Columbia store last week. One person is seen punching the woman just as another person, since identified as Hughes, grabs her from behind, raises her into the air and throws her to the ground. Another uniformed person is seen cheering. McElhaney said his client just wanted a refund for several mistaken charges.