In Houston, Texas, a fast-food worker at a local Jack in the Box is facing allegations of shooting at a customer during a drive-thru dispute over an order of curly fries, according to a recently filed lawsuit.
The lawsuit was filed by Anthony Ramos, a Florida resident who was visiting Houston with his pregnant wife and six-year-old daughter. The family’s attorney, Randall L. Kallinen, released a 23-minute video of the incident, which reportedly took place on March 3, 2021, near Houston’s Bush Intercontinental Airport.
According to the lawsuit, the dispute began when the Ramos family noticed that their order was missing curly fries. The situation escalated when the employee, identified as Alonniea Fantasia Ford, allegedly began throwing ice and ketchup packets at the family’s vehicle. The video footage shows Ford walking away from the window, returning with a gun, and allegedly firing shots at the family’s red truck.
Following the incident, the Ramos family contacted 9-1-1, and officers were dispatched to the scene. The video appears to show Ford cleaning up and putting the gun away before law enforcement arrived.
Kallinen has criticized Jack in the Box for its hiring practices, noting that Ford had previously pleaded guilty to a terroristic threat, a fact that was publicly available in Harris County records. He also suggested that the restaurant’s management failed to de-escalate the situation.
Ford was later arrested and then charged with aggravated assault using a deadly weapon. She pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of deadly conduct and received a sentence of one year deferred adjudication, which she completed in June, according to court records.
The lawsuit alleges assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and negligence by Ford and Jack in the Box. The family is seeking unspecified damages, and the case is set to go to trial in Houston in November.