Gothamist

A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.

Gothamist

WNYC Listen Live

Donate

 

 

Food

Video: McDonald's Cashier Beats Customers With Metal Rod


By

John Del Signore

Published Oct 14, 2011

Modified Oct 19, 2011


Share

FacebookTwitterRedditEmail


Never miss a story

 Email address

By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .


By

John Del Signore

Published Oct 14, 2011

Modified Oct 19, 2011


Share

FacebookTwitterRedditEmail


We rely on your support to make local news available to all

Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

Let's take a break from all the violent protest videos and catch our breathe with a McDonald's beatdown video. This entry in the fast food fight canon comes to us by way of DNAinfo, which reports that the altercation occurred at the McDonald's on West 4th Street in Greenwich Village, just after midnight on Thursday. Take it away, cell phone-holding customer who still doesn't grasp the merits of holding the phone horizontally:

The more you know about this video the more depressing it is. Our first reaction was: Oh, that tired overworked cashier is hitting those trespassers with a broomstick—guess they shouldn't have jumped behind the counter! But that's not a broomstick, it's a metal rod. And one of the women ended up with a fractured skull and broken arm.

DNAinfo reports that the violence started after one of the customers, Denise Darbeau, 24, of Queens, started cursing out the cashier, Rayon McIntosh, 31, because he said he needed to check her $50 bill to make sure it wasn't counterfeit. Darbeau is seen on video slapping McIntosh, and then she and her friend, Rachel Edwards, 24, jump the counter. McIntosh disappears from frame, but then reappears with the metal rod and brings it down again and again and again.

McIntosh faces felony assault charges, along with criminal possession of a weapon. Dabeau and Edwards were charged with menacing, trespass and disorderly conduct. And then there's this: McIntosh just finished serving over a decade in prison after shooting and killing a classmate at Bronx's Evander Childs High School in 2000, when he was only 19. He was paroled in March, and had been working at McDonald's since, commuting to his job from the Bronx... Is it the weekend yet?

Tagged

beatings

fast food fight

greenwich village

mcdonald's


John Del Signore

Twitter

Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.

Read more

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations


Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations


MORE food

Why NYC restaurants are playing coy about sustainability

Though it has multiple benefits, the practice remains popular for one basic reason: it saves money.

By

Samantha Dady

Published Oct 26, 2026


Where are the cheapest drinks in NYC? A new report details the city's average prices.

The median price of a cocktail in the city is now $16, and $9 for a draft beer.

By

Hannah Frishberg

Food

Where are the cheapest drinks in NYC? A new report details the city's average prices.

The median price of a cocktail in the city is now $16, and $9 for a draft beer.

By

Hannah Frishberg


North African restaurants are rare in NYC. These 10 are the best.

By

Robert Sietsema

10 dishes that demonstrate the delicious diversity of curry in New York City

By

Robert Sietsema

Frozen yogurt is back in New York City. So are the super long lines.

By

Sonia Rao


Never miss a story

Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.

Sign upEmail address

By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .