Florida man attacks McDonald's employees in dispute over straws, police say

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A Florida man is behind bars after witnesses say he grabbed a female McDonald's employee and kicked another in the stomach after a dispute over a straw.

According to the St. Petersburg Police Department, Daniel Taylor, 40, was arrested Monday on simple battery charges after the incident, which was caught on video by a customer. The clip quickly went viral, racking up more 3.3 million views on Facebook by Thursday morning.

>> Watch the video here (WARNING: Linked video contains graphic language and content.)

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He didn't see any drinking straws (in the lobby), so he yelled out to the employees he needs a straw: 'Looks like somebody's not doing their job up in here,'" witness Brenda Biandudi, who recorded the video, told WTVT.

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Under a new city law, straws are provided only to customers who ask for them. When the clerk explained that's why the dispenser was empty, Taylor began arguing with her, then grabbed her shirt, Biandudi said.

The video shows the employee fighting back as other employees step in.

"She mentioned to me that she used to box," Biandudi told Spectrum News.

St. Petersburg police said Taylor kicked a second female worker in the stomach on his way out of the restaurant. He was arrested shortly afterward following "a report of an un-armed robbery" nearby, police said.

Read more here.

WATCH BELOW (WARNING: GRAPHIC LANGUAGE AND CONTENT)

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