PARIS, Texas — A Northeast Texas Whataburger manager is being hailed online after a bystander's video went viral showing him wielding a trash can to fight off an intoxicated man who had returned to the restaurant specifically to assault him - and police say the suspect caused even more trouble once he was behind bars.
Paris Police officers responded Sunday, February 22, to the Whataburger in the 2400 block of North Main Street in Paris, about two hours northeast of Dallas, after receiving a disturbance call.
According to a Paris Police Department press release, a customer was verbally abusive toward staff and was ordered to leave by the manager. He complied — but threatened to come back and assault the manager once police cleared the scene.
He made good on that threat.
The suspect returned to the restaurant and assaulted the manager by punching him multiple times. The manager recovered, subdued the man, and forced him out of the store.
Video recorded by customer Billy Jones, who was eating inside the restaurant at the time, captured what happened in vivid detail. Jones told FOX 4 that as the attack began, one Whataburger worker cracked the suspect on the head with a wire fry basket, dropping him to the floor. The video then shows the manager aggressively swinging a trash can at the suspect, with workers in the background shouting for someone to press the panic button.
Paris police and Lamar County Sheriff's deputies arrived and found the suspect in the back parking lot, bleeding from the head. He was identified as Anthony William Newhuis, 41, of Spring, Texas. He was arrested and charged with assault causing bodily injury and public intoxication, then transported to a medical facility for treatment before being taken to the city jail.
His troubles didn't end there.
While in custody, Newhuis is accused of intentionally flooded the jail cells, earning an additional charge of criminal mischief under $750. He now faces three charges in total.
No injuries to Whataburger staff were confirmed in the official police report. Paris is a city of about 24,000 people in Lamar County in the Red River region of Northeast Texas. No court date has been publicly announced.
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