Store clerk breaks wine bottle on angry customer’s head, Louisiana video shows

A Louisiana gas station clerk has been arrested after police in New Iberia accused him of hitting an upset customer in the head with a wine bottle.

Saleh Ahmed was arrested Thursday on a charge of aggravated second-degree battery, police said.

Video taken by a bystander allegedly shows Ahmed and a customer arguing at the Hopkins One Stop on Wednesday, but the verbal dispute quickly escalates when the customer punches the plexiglass partition between them.

Ahmed walks out from behind the counter, holding a full bottle of red wine and strikes the other man in the head, video shows. The customer grabs the cashier’s throat and he hits him a second time, shattering the bottle.

They throw a few more swings at each other before the customer retreats through the front door.

Video of the fight has been shared on social media and YouTube. (Warning: the video depicts violence that may be disturbing to some.)

The argument reportedly happened because Ahmed asked the customer to count out his money as he was paying, according to KLFY.

According to police, the customer was taken to a hospital for his injuries and later released.

Ahmed is being held at the Iberia Parish Jail.

This story was originally published May 7, 2021 at 1:39 PM with the headline "Store clerk breaks wine bottle on angry customer’s head, Louisiana video shows."