Nutella Fight: Elderly Man Beat Up Over Costco Samples [Video]
From the archive: published Sep 24, 2015, 11 years ago. Details may have changed since.
A bizarre scene unfolded at the Costco in Burbank, California. USA Today reports that a fight broke out because one man decided he wanted all of the Nutella Eggo sandwich samples to himself. Apparently, 24-year-old Derrick Gharabighi had no interest in sharing, deciding that the fact that the Nutella samples were free meant they were his. Nutella is delicious, so this sentiment is partially understandable, but what followed was anything but.
According to the Los Angeles Times , 78-year-old grandfather Sahak Sahakian wanted a Nutella treat himself and approached the display. Said Sahakian, “He takes two, three of them, left one. I want to take that one, and he [caught] my hand. I say, ‘What are you doing? Let me eat this one.'”
Derrick had no interest in letting the other man have any of the treats. In a move that brings new meaning to the phrase “Leggo My Eggo,” he allegedly punched the elderly man in the face.
“He hit me, and the blood started.”
The elderly shopper was soon after hospitalized. CBS News interviewed the victim, and it’s easy to see the damage caused. Sahak had a bandaged cut over his eye, which was visibly swollen. He probably never anticipated that such a thing could happen to him over a Nutella sample.
Man (24) charged with supermarket attack on 78-year-old – over free Nutella samples http://t.co/U964Hr2GpS pic.twitter.com/PU4tDhBPVF
— TheJournal.ie (@thejournal_ie) September 23, 2015
As for the man with a serious case of “Nutella rage”, his tantrum over junk food landed him in serious trouble. Gharabighi was arrested and charged with elder abuse. He is currently in jail on a $50,000 bond, and CBS Los Angeles said he’ll be arraigned on Tuesday. The suspect’s booking photo will not be released.
He’s getting no sympathy from people on social media. CNN said that outraged individuals have popped up on his Instagram account to question him about his behavior. Someone even offered advice that is perhaps a few days late.
“Lay off the Nutella waffles, dude!
Had the man followed this advice and not started a fight over the chocolatey food, he wouldn’t be looking at jail time. If convicted, Derrick Gharabighi could be sent to prison for up to 11 years. Elder abuse and physical violence against persons over the age of 70 are crimes that are taken very seriously in California.
Let this story be a lesson: Please don’t go around beating up elderly people over free grub, because it will end badly for you. Safe to say it will be quite awhile before this man gets any Nutella.