The lawsuit alleges that a Jack in the Box employee shot a customer because he missed french fries. | Courtesy of CNN
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — A just-released video shows a Jack in the Box employee shooting at a drive-thru customer, allegedly during an argument over missing curly fries.
According to a lawsuit filed by Houston attorney Randall Kallinen, Anthony Ramos and his family ordered a combo meal from the restaurant near Bush Intercontinental Airport in March 2021.
Ramos, a Florida resident, was in Houston for work after the February freeze. He picked up his pregnant wife and daughter, who was six at the time, from the airport and stopped at the thoroughfare to get something to eat. Fifteen minutes later they sped away to avoid gunfire.
In a newly released video, employee Alonniea Fantasia Ford appears excited with Ramos. He sits in the driver’s seat, his wife in the passenger seat and their daughter in the back seat. They paid $12.99 for a meal combo, the lawsuit says, but didn’t get the curly fries they ordered, which led to an argument.
Not even halfway through the argument does the video show Ford holding a gun. Minutes later, she and another employee throw ice and condiments at the window before firing at the family at least twice.
“Jack-in-the-Box needs to conduct background checks on employees to avoid exposing their customers to someone who would try to kill them,” Kallinen said in a news release.
The family filed the lawsuit in 2022. Kallinen recently received the video following an open records request, he said.
The lawsuit alleges that Jack-in-the-Box was negligent by failing to ensure the safety of customers.
In its original response, Jack-in-the-Box denied all allegations and said the restaurant has “no control” over third parties and “has no legal responsibility” for third parties such as Ford.
An attorney for Jack-in-the-Box did not immediately respond to ABC13’s request for comment.
Ford is also named in the lawsuit, which seeks at least $250,000 in damages.
Ford was initially charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, but pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of deadly conduct. She received a one-year deferred sentence and began serving it in June, court records show.
Kallinen will discuss the video and lawsuit during a news conference Tuesday outside the restaurant on JFK Boulevard. Family is expected to attend.
=htmlentities(get_the_title())?>%0D%0A%0D%0A=get_permalink()?>%0D%0A%0D%0A=htmlentities(‘For more stories like this, visit https://www.eastidahonews. com/ for all the latest news, community events and more.’)?>&subject=Check%20out%20this%20story%20from%20EastIdahoNews” class=”fa-stack jDialog”>