75-Year-Old Customer Dies After Fighting Employee at Indiana Tim Hortons

A 75-year-old woman died after a physical altercation with staff at a Tim Hortons location in Indiana that began over a dispute involving a drive-thru order, police said.

The woman laid on the floor following the confrontation and was later found unresponsive by a responding officer, a Fort Wayne Police Department news release says.

Anita Grayson entered the Tim Hortons store at around 8:09 a.m. on May 13 when she began berating a 17-year-old female employee, the release says. A 20-year-old shift lead then intervened and repeatedly asked Grayson to leave the store, before Grayson shoved the shift lead and then struck her on the left side of the nose at around 8:12 a.m.

The confrontation between Grayson and the shift lead then escalated with the shift lead swinging her arms at Grayson, and Grayson grabbing the shift lead’s face, leaving scratches and knocking off her glasses.

Finally, Grayson grabbed the shift lead by the hair, ripping a clump of hair from her head and dropping it on the ground, before later picking it up and putting it in her purse.

At 8:22 a.m. Grayson laid down on the floor and the shift lead went to check on her, bringing her a cup of water. Another employee also checked on her at one point.

Police arrived shortly after and found Grayson unresponsive, after which medics were called. Grayson was transported to hospital and later pronounced deceased.

Police said that an investigation was conducted involving witness interviews and a review of surveillance footage. An autopsy by the Allen County Coroner’s Office was requested, but the cause and manner of death remain pending, the release says.

The department said it initially released only limited information about the case out of respect for Grayson’s family and to avoid causing additional distress after her death.

“However, a dangerously false narrative, along with poor-quality video circulating publicly, has led to significant public concern and misinformation,” it said.

“For that reason, and because it is in the public interest, [the department] is releasing the facts of the case along with a clear and complete video of the events that occurred inside Tim Hortons.”

The family retained attorney Ben Crump, who released a statement on May 22 regarding the incident.

“Anita Grayson was a 75-year-old mother, and her family is grieving a sudden and painful loss. They have urgent questions about how a visit to a neighborhood coffee shop ended with the loss of their loved one, and they deserve clear, complete, and timely answers,” Crump said.

“We have been retained to stand with the Grayson family to make sure their voice is part of this process, and to see that this investigation is thorough and fair. Our focus is on supporting this family and on making sure the truth is established.”

Tim Hortons did not respond to a request for comment before press time.