Publix Brawl Started Over Chicken Wings And Racial Slur

A Publix brawl in Tampa, Florida was started over chicken wings and a racial slur. The entire incident was caught on a cell phone video and has since gone viral.

It all started when Raleigh Harris, 59, went to the deli to order some chicken wings, according to WFLA. Apparently, he was very rude to the deli worker and proceeded to use a racial slur, causing his fellow customers to become outraged. When a fellow worker and an onlooking customer, Leon Lightbody, 25, tried to get Harris to calm down, he seemed to snap and just went crazy.

“Well I was in shock,” said Jessica Jordan, a young woman who witnessed the chaotic situation at the Temple Terrace Pulix on September 16. “I was like, ‘Ugh, great, rude people.’ I just felt like he was kind of, um, loud and obnoxious.”

“He got really outraged and told him to mind his f****** business and kinda threw the n-word in there a few times. The guy that was ordering chicken was like running around the deli being chased by these other customers,” she added.

“You wouldn’t really think to see that in the deli department, you know, or even a grocery store at that.”

In the video, you can see the customers chasing Harris around the deli throwing punches and wrestling each other to the ground. The deli food tables can also be seen being pushed around as the Publix brawl ensues. Several Publix employees tried to break up the fight, but it wasn’t that simple.

According to The Tampa Tribune, investigators are still unsure of how the fight escalated from verbal to physical. Lightbody was later arrested and charged with simple battery as well as a probation violation related to a 2014 grand theft and burglary case. It is not clear if charges will follow for Harris, and the police are still trying to identify the man and woman who also appeared in the video. The employees seemed to be trying to help end the brawl, and will likely not be charged with any criminal activity. Luckily, no one was injured during the fiasco.

Following the incident, Brian West, a spokesman for Publix, issued a statement.

“[Publix is] disappointed in the behavior of those involved, but thankfully no one was injured,” West said. “A couple of our associates placed themselves in harm’s way attempting to break it up. Fortunately, no injuries occurred. The safety and well-being of our associates and customers is our first priority.”

[Photo by Rob Wilson/Shutterstock]