Brutal fight breaks out at Chick-fil-A between employee, customer — and it was all caught on video

Chick-fil-A, one of the most popular fast-food restaurants known for its southern hospitality and delicious chicken sandwiches, was in the news this week — but not for handing out free food or participating in random acts of kindness.

Instead, the Atlanta-based eatery was thrust into the spotlight after a dramatic brawl inside a Washington-D.C. location left one man arrested and one employee without a job.

What happened?

According to police, the fight broke out on Tuesday when a 55-year-old man, identified as Sean Turner, went behind the counter and began verbally berating customers and employees. An employee, a 27-year-old man, repeatedly told Turner to leave, explaining he was bothering customers.

Turner responded with a punch, WTTG-TV reported — spurring the brawl, which was caught on camera.

The video shows the employee overpowering Turner and punching him in the head several times before other employees and customers successfully separate the two men, ending the fight.

Law enforcement said Turner was taken to the hospital and treated for minor injuries. Police arrested and charged him with simple assault, according to WTTG.

The unidentified employee who engaged Turner was not arrested. However, he was fired from his job at Chick-fil-A.

(Content Warning: The following video contains graphic content)

How did Chick-fil-A respond?

The company said in a statement:

There is a viral video circulating of an altercation that took place Sept. 4 between a restaurant team member and an individual in a franchised restaurant outside of Washington, DC. This video is incredibly disturbing to watch, and we do not condone violence or the team member's response to the situation in any way. Our franchise restaurant Operators and their team members strive to create a safe and welcoming environment and to treat all guests with dignity and respect. This situation does not live up to our brand's commitment to hospitality, and for that, we are very sorry.

According to the franchise Operator, the team member involved in the altercation is no longer working in the restaurant. We are continuing to investigate this situation, including what happened before the video was taken and how it escalated so quickly.