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Video-Waffle House is under fire after viral footage shows a black couple being handcuffed following a $1 payment dispute
Waffle House has been criticized after a black couple was handcuffed by police officers outside an outlet in Florida following a dispute over the check.
Footage from a police officer’s body camera revealed a clash between a black couple and police officers at the chain. The footage shows police entering a Waffle House in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. In the video, two people are seen inside the restaurant arguing with employees regarding the bill, which the customers say was overly high.
The video was shared on Facebook by Shaun King who narrated what happened, writing:
The man being arrested here refused to pay for a $1.50 overcharge on an orange juice that was listed as $1.00 on the menu. That’s all. When they refused to change the charge he demanded to talk to customer service.
In the video, the officer asks the woman and the man, who is speaking on a cell phone, to come outside. The couple goes outside after a while and they and the police get into an argument.
The police tell them that the bill needs to be paid or they will be arrested for theft, but the couple says that confusion regarding the bill needs to be cleared up first before they pay. The video shows both the man and the woman being handcuffed by police over their vocal protests.
Eventually, the couple was not charged with a crime and they paid for their meals. But the woman returned to the Waffle House location later and received a full refund.
The incident follows two other such incidents that took place between Waffle House customers and the police that went viral online.
Waffle House said in a statement that in investigations into the two past incidents “we concluded that our employees acted appropriately by calling the police in light of safety concerns for our customers and themselves.” In the most recent case, the chain said its “review of the matter is continuing.”
Below is a video of the latest Waffle House incident.
