Black Man Choked By Police At Waffle House Gives His Side Of The Story

The young man who was choked and slammed on the ground by police after getting into an argument with employees at a North Carolina Waffle House earlier this month is finally speaking out about the incident.

Anthony Wall, 22, has shared his side of what happened when he visited the restaurant chain after taking his younger sister to her prom. His lawyers are now pursuing a larger investigation into whether Waffle House has a pattern of discrimination based on race and sexual orientation, according to NBC News.

CNN is also reporting that the FBI, the State Bureau of Investigation and police are investigating the incident.

Wall visited his local Waffle House on May 4 after enjoying a night out with his sister at the prom. According to Civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump, when they sat down, their white waiter “wasn’t welcoming or inviting and almost so inappropriate I have problems even repeating [what] he told Anthony Wall, his little sister and others in his party.“

When Wall called out the waiter, the situation escalated. Wall said the employee called him a “f-gg-t” and also threatened physical assault.

When police arrived, they immediately tackled Wall, choking him and throwing him on the ground. The video of his violent arrest was caught and video, and promptly went viral.

“You will see from the video evidence as well as other objective evidence that indicates it was the Waffle House employees who were the initial aggressors,” Crump said in a press conference. “The Waffle House was unprofessional to their customers. Waffle House employees used homophobic slurs to Anthony Wall.”

Bernice King, the daughter of Martin Luther King Jr., called for a boycott of Waffle House last week after seeing the video of Wall’s arrest. She called for a boycott until the restaurant chain implements training for its employees on racism.

Last month, Chikesia Clemons was also manhandled by police officers after an employee of an Alabama Waffle House called the police on her for asking to speak with management.

During the disturbing incident, Clemons was wrestled to the ground by police — a move which exposed her breasts. 

The restaurant chain defended its employee actions, calling them “appropriate.”

As for Wall’s incident, Waffle House says that it is doing its own internal investigation on what happened. The company said the employee who got into a dispute with Wall and called police was also African-American.

“The race of Mr. Wall and the members of his party had absolutely nothing to do with that employee’s decision to contact the police,” the company added. “Waffle House prides itself for a long history of inclusion and is a welcoming place for all.”