Fight at restaurant ends with 90-day sentence
STAMFORD — A city man who got into a fight with workers at a Chinese restaurant in the city, and claimed he became enraged after having found a fried mouse in his food, will have to spend three months in jail after pleading guilty to criminal charges connected with the incident late last week.
Antwaun Boyd, 27, of Stamford, pleaded guilty on Friday to second-degree assault and breach of peace charges in return for a 90-day sentence. He had faced as many as 25 months in jail.
Boyd began serving his sentence Friday.
Mark Sherman, Boyd’s Stamford criminal defense lawyer, said Judge John Blawie’s sentencing was “thoughtful and fair” in light of the case circumstances and severity of the victim’s injuries. “While Antwan was hoping to avoid jail, the Court’s sentence allows him to continue to move upward and forward in his young life, and continue his community service work and his dream to become a professional athlete,” he said.
During his sentencing, Sherman highlighted Boyd’s meaningful work with the Stamford Peace Youth Foundation, whose chief executive Lenwood Latta submitted a letter of support for Boyd. Latta told Blawie that Boyd regularly taught students to “think before you react,” a lesson that Sherman explained to the Court was learned by Boyd in this case.
Police were called to China Xpress on Selleck Street on August 2, 2018 when Boyd and his grandmother went to the restaurant to confront employees about the mouse he found in his delivery order from the night before.
According to what Boyd told police, the employee examined the rice and removed the mouse to show there was no rodent inside the carton. A fight then broke out between restaurant employees and Boyd who was joined by several friends, police said.
A cashier and manager at the restaurant said he suffered a broken nose and collarbone and needed stitches.
police as Boyd argued with the cashier and was trying to lure the employee outside for a fight. Sun said Boyd went outside and called several friends who he claims started attacking the cashier.
Police said Boyd punched the manager in the face, prompting other kitchen employees to join the fight and hit the men with spoons.
Boyd fled the with his friends, leaving his grandmother at the restaurant where police said an employee struck her with a wooden spoon.
China Xpress refuted the claim that a mouse was served to Boyd.
A cashier told Hearst Connecticut Media right after the incident, “Truth is truth,” said Ray Sun. “It’s common sense. Mice in a box ... unbelievable. Or I’d say, impossible.”