Truesee's Daily Wonder

 

 

• Fast facts:
• - McDonald's Manager Employee Fired After Allegedly Beating Teen Worker
• -Former Manager Faces Simple Assault Charges
• -Teen's Father Says Memphis Police Could Have Done More

(Memphis, TN/February 16, 2010) Jerome Gray is outraged over the beating of his son. Gray said, "This child was attacked at Mcdonalds."

His 17-year old son, Jarelle, is a McDonald's employee. He was punched, kicked and thrown against the counter by his supervisor after a dispute over free food and when his shift was supposed to end.

Gray said, "I got a phone call from the owner of McDonald's. He told me Jarelle didn't do anything wrong and he was sorry for what took place. He said he fired the manager."

The manager, Martin Jackson, has been fired, but Gray says what bothers him is that three Memphis police officers were at that very McDonald's eating at the same time his son was being beaten.

Gray said, "Three MPD officers were there on the scene and didn't do anything. How can you be feet away? How can you be feet away from where a crime is taking place and not do anything?"


The former McDonald's supervisor now faces simple assault charges, but Gray, who's a Shelby County Deputy Jailer, says that charge is not severe enough.

Gray said, "This right here, hitting a person's face against a counter, against machinery, things like that. You're using the machinery and counter as a weapon."

We did try talking with the Memphis Police Department about the case. I was told they would not be doing an interview at this time because the investigation is ongoing. Police are looking at surveillance video of the incident to decide if the simple assault charges will be upgraded to aggravated assault. Police tell me if it's determined that Jarelle Gray has broken bones or if a weapon was used the charges could likely be upgraded against the former McDonald's supervisor.

But those words don't comfort Jerome Gray. He says his son, who once dreamed of going to college and becoming a police officer, no longer has trust in them after the way they handled the investigation.

Gray said, "Now that he has experienced this I don't think he even trusts the police officers or the police department. I don't trust them."