Wendy’s worker charged with murder after customer, 67, is punched and dies (2024)

A Wendy’s employee in Arizona has been charged with murder after he sucker-punched a 67-year-old customer, a blow that knocked the man to the ground and resulted in his death days later, police said.

The employee, Antoine Kendrick, 35, of Prescott, had been working the service counter July 26 when he took the man’s order at around 4:40 p.m. local time (7:40 p.m. ET), the Prescott Valley Police Department said. But what began as an everyday encounter took a violent turn after the man complained about his order, police said Monday in a news release.

Surveillance video obtained by KPHO-TV of Phoenix appears to show the moment the attack began. In the video, the customer appears to lick a Frosty when a man comes out from behind the counter, approaches him from the side and punches him in the head.

"The customer fell to the floor striking his head and lost consciousness," police said. The man was flown to a hospital, where he had remained in critical condition.

He died Aug. 5, just over a week after the assault, police said. The customer's name has not been released.

Kendrick was initially arrested and booked on aggravated assault charges. He was charged with second-degree murder after the man died.

Kendrick remains in custody, according to online jail records.