Woman suing Popeyes following alleged drive-thru assault

By Adam Murphy

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    ATLANTA, Georgia (WANF) — One year after police arrested three restaurant employees at the Popeyes on Cleveland Avenue in southwest Atlanta, customer Denetra Dawson is taking legal action.

“I still don’t understand this. Like, why me?” Dawson said.

According to the complaint, Dawson placed an order at the drive-thru and when she realized they got her order wrong, she asked them to correct it.

“They come out of the restaurant. She remains in her car. And their objective is to get her to move her car so that they can keep the line moving so that they don’t get in trouble with Popeye’s, their employer,” Attorney Mawuli Davis said.

Dawson’s legal team said she waited at the window for her order and that’s when three employees, including a manager, allegedly walked outside and attacked Dawson inside her car and ripped her hair out when she would not move out of the drive-thru line.

“One of the employees physically opens her passenger side car door, and enters her vehicle, jumps into her car and begins to attack her. Two other employees, including the manager, open up her car door and they’re all converging on her beating her, punching her, scratching her,” Davis said.

An Atlanta Police report says two employees were charged with battery and another with obstruction of an officer.

The legal team said Popeyes failed to do background checks on the employees involved. Their investigation found that the manager, Tenister Evans, had a criminal history.

“In 2013, she was convicted of assault. In 2016, another conviction of assault. And multiple other criminal convictions,” Attorney Ed Jones said.

Atlanta News First went to the owner of the business, 755 Restaurant Corporation, and they had no comment but said their legal team is handling the matter.

“The only thing that ends this attack is that Ms. Dawson is able to get access to her purse where she has her licensed firearm. And she’s able to produce that firearm and it’s only after that the assault stops,” Davis said.

Dawson said the incident has caused her excruciating pain and severe emotional distress and she has been receiving counseling.

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