RICHMOND HEIGHTS, Mo. — A Richmond Heights Panda Express manager said his employees were threatened and attacked by a customer who wanted a refund for food.
The incident happened at the Panda Express located at 1494 South Hanley Road in Richmond Heights, Missouri. The Richmond Heights Police Department said Wednesday at about 3:50 p.m., 33-year-old Phillip Person attacked two employees because he was dissatisfied with his order.
Police said Person stabbed one employee in the lower back and punched another in the head.
He left the restaurant and drove off in a work truck onto Eager Road and Musick Memorial Drive, where he was arrested with the knife he used in the brazen attack.
"Honestly, that's genuinely crazy that a person would stab someone over some food. I just think it was never that serious to harm someone over the food," Mystik Stargod, a frequent customer, said.
The restaurant manager did not want to speak on camera, but he spoke more about the attack.
He said Person wanted a refund for food he had already eaten half of and did not have a receipt. The manager said Person allegedly started calling him and other employees names and threatened to shoot them.
They replaced the food but the man left and came back throwing the food in their face. The manager said the attack happened when Person was escorted out of the restaurant.
Stargod said the situation is hard to wrap his mind around, but it's not going to stop him from grabbing a bite to eat from the location.
"Maybe in the city or downtown but not here, it's uncommon," Stargod added.
Richmond Heights police said Thursday afternoon, that they were unable to conduct on-camera interviews, and they cannot release the names of the victims.
Person was charged with two felonies including first-degree assault and armed criminal action. He also faces fourth-degree assault, which is a misdemeanor.
He remains in custody at the St. Louis County Justice Center on a $250,000 bond, cash-only without 10%.
Panda Express' corporate office provided this statement in response to the incident:
“The health and safety of our associates and guests is our top priority. We are grateful for the quick action of law enforcement and first responders, and thankful that our injured associates are on the path to recovery. We will continue to cooperate with local authorities as they continue their investigation. Out of privacy for those involved, we are unable to comment further.”