Man recovering after assault over McDonald's sandwich

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Karrigan Norwood was punched repeatedly by several McDonald's employees after a dispute over a drive-thru order and is now struggling to get back to normalcy.

The assault took place after midnight on Oct. 17 at the McDonald's on East 17th Street near Interstate 71.  

He sat down with NBC4 to talk about the "nightmare" of an experience.

Norwood was getting a late-night meal from McDonald's, a Double Quarter Pounder with Bacon. He lives nearby and returned to the McDonald's when he realized the order wasn't right; he received a single, not a double, hamburger. 

When Norwood got back to the drive-thru window, he said he was met with hostility and asked for the manager.  

"Slammed the window in my face, then told me to come back with a better attitude," Norwood said.  

An argument ensued, the manager walked away and that's when Norwood said the whole staff came after him.  

"Everybody in the crew, person who took my order, the fry cooks, cashiers all want to come yelling at me at the window," he said.

Norwood said he then drove around the McDonald's so that people waiting in line behind him could get their food.  

Norwood joined the drive-thru line once again to ask for a correction to his order. When he reached the window, he said five employees exited the building and approached his vehicle.  

"Fluid was thrown in my car,” he said. “I didn't know what it was, so when I tried to get out and call for help, that's when they dropped me and beat me. They basically, like, jumped me, like, grabbed me, pulled my shirt over my head, started punching me in the face. 

"Didn't stop until one of the other patrons in the drive-thru said they were calling the police,” Norwood added. “All this over a sandwich and it didn't need to go that far at all.” 

Finally, the attack ended and Norwood got back in his vehicle and talked to his mother on the phone. She couldn't figure out why he was talking slowly with slurred words. She rushed to the restaurant and immediately sought medical help. 

Norwood had a broken orbital bone on the left side of his face. His left eye was swollen shut, and he wondered if he would ever see again.   

"I had to get a titanium implant,” Norwood said a couple of weeks following his surgery. “Still got a little bit of double vision. Lens sensitive to light so I wear glasses.” 

He had been talking to a recruiter and was planning on enlisting in the military. His mother is a veteran and his father was one as well, and Norwood wanted to follow in their footsteps. However, due to the severity of his injuries, he's now unsure if he will be able to join the military at all.  

"Let's you know how real the world is and, you know, the lengths people go to for the most minimal stuff," Norwood said.  

Norwood's mother Dawn is very proud of her son and worries about his future after the incident. 

She questions the hiring practices of McDonald's. 

”These monsters are a threat to society," Dawn Norwood said.  

Three of the employees involved have been charged with assault, causing great bodily harm, a felony. Two of those men have been arrested. One man, Cedric Love, is still wanted by Columbus police. 

Store cameras recorded much of the altercation and have been submitted as evidence. 

The charges against the three employees have been sent to a grand jury.