A Colorado Panera Bread employee sprang into action after an altercation in their restaurant turned violent, using a tool from the kitchen to subdue an unruly customer.
According to KDVR, footage of the incident shows an enraged customer at the Glendale, Colorado Panera location knocking things off a counter and repeatedly asking employees to give them their phone. Witness Natalie Wiersma, who recorded the incident, explained that the workers seemingly had no idea what the person was talking about.
"They all looked super confused and said, 'We don't have your phone,'" Wiersma said.
Police said the suspect, identified as Isaac Ross, came into Panera and caused a scene. He threw a smoothie at employees and yelled a racial slur at one of them before continuing to wreak havoc on the store. At one point, another customer tried to get Ross to stop.
“The next guy then actually kind of saved that guy from getting attacked further and tried his best to hold them down,” Wiersma said.
To break up the scuffle, an employee came out from behind the counter and started hitting Ross on the head with a metal baker's peel, used to remove pizzas from the oven.
"My personal hero," Wiersma said of the paddle-wielding worker. "That, I think, was very effective."
Ross fled the scene before police arrived but later returned and began agitating people in the restaurant once again. This time, one person suffered minor injuries during an altercation. The suspect remains at large.
