WFAA-TV
PARIS, Texas — A Whataburger manager was forced to subdue a customer by apparently beating him with a trash can after he allegedly assaulted the workers there, according to police and witness video.
Paris Police officers responded on Feb. 22 to a Whataburger in the 2400 block of N. Main Street in Paris, about two hours northeast of Dallas, the Paris Police Department said in a press release.
Officers found that a customer at the location was verbally abusive to the staff there, the release stated. The manager asked the man to leave, and he complied but threatened to return to the store and assault the manager when police left, officials said.
The suspect later returned to the restaurant and assaulted the manager by punching him multiple times, the release said. The manager was able to recover, subdue the man, and force him out of the store, police said. Video from a witness showed what appeared to be the manager hitting the customer with a trash can, trying to subdue him.
Watch video of the incident here:
The suspect was later identified as 41-year-old Anthony William Newhuis of Spring, Texas.
When police arrived, they found Newhuis bleeding from the head in the restaurant’s parking lot, the release states. Newhuis was arrested and charged with assault resulting in bodily injury and public intoxication, police said.
After Newhuis was taken to jail, he intentionally flooded the cells, the release states. Officials charged him with criminal mischief less than $750 as a result of the incident.
“At Whataburger, Guest and employee security are a top priority. We take incidents such as this seriously and are fully cooperating with authorities,” a Whataburger spokesperson said in a statement to WFAA.
(© 2026 WFAA-TV. All Rights Reserved.)
