Assault With A Deadly Steak? Food Attacks On the Rise
Today, there's a story in the news about a Florida man facing domestic battery charges after he struck his girlfriend in the face with a steak.
According to the arrest affidavit, the Smoking Gun says that the woman was lying on the couch when Joshua Dummar "picked up a steak and smacked the victim twice on the left cheek, leaving seasoning from the steak on her cheek."
The whole event was captured on a ring camera inside the home.
Every day, there seems to be another story in the news about someone facing charges of assault with an edible weapon. One of the most common food assaults seems to happen in fast-food restaurants. There are numerous accounts of people getting angry at fast-food workers and throwing their food at them in response.
Even throwing water in anger can be considered an assault. Last summer, a 24-year-old Tennessee man was charged with aggravated assault for throwing liquid in a cup through the drive-thru window at an employee.
Food assaults are also common in fights between people involved in relationships.
Back in February, a woman in Eagle Lake, Minnesota, hit her boyfriend in the head with a whole chicken. When police arrived, the victim still had chicken residue in his hair. In 2011, a woman and her new boyfriend in Italy tried to kill her ex-husband by stuffing butter down his throat and suffocating him. They thought the butter would melt, and the evidence would be gone.
It didn't work.
While most food items are not inherently deadly, there are rare situations where they could be. According to Texas law, it is possible for food items to be considered deadly weapons if they meet the following criteria.
Factors include the manner in which the food item was used, the intent of the assailant, and the resulting harm inflicted. Here are some of the most dangerous food items.
Hot Liquids: Any hot liquid thrown in anger can cause serious harm. Even hot water thrown with sufficient force can be considered an assault under Texas Law.
Frozen Foods: Frozen food items can be deadly if thrown or used as a weapon.
Sharp Bones: Chicken or steak bones can be used as a weapon. Back in 2021, a pro-MMA fighter named Akmal Khozhiev, also known as "AK-47," got into a dispute over a COVID vaccine with a doctor and stabbed him to death with a bone from a meal he had just eaten.
Allergens: Murder or assault by food can even cover the food you serve. We're not talking deadly hot chili or anything that. If you knowingly serve someone a food item that they are allergic to, it can get you charged with assault or, worse, murder if it kills them.
There are even cases of food fights leading to charges. Throwing canned food items can also be deadly, or stabbing those sticks on carnival food.
It is crucial to remember that resorting to violence, even with seemingly harmless objects like food, can lead to serious legal repercussions, injury, and even death.
As bad a cook as I am, I am lucky that I haven't been charged with assault by food AFTER someone eats it.