Get All Access for $5/mo

Panda Express Customer Attacks, Stabs Employee Over Food Order The stabbed employee was taken to the hospital for their injuries and later released.

By Sam Silverman

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

A Panda Express customer allegedly assaulted two employees after being dissatisfied with his food.

Phillip Person, 33, of Missouri, allegedly stabbed a Panda Express employee in the lower back and punched another in the head at the Richmond Heights location around 3:50 p.m. on Dec. 6, according to local news outlet KSDK.

The incident reportedly occurred after Person demanded a refund for his half-eaten order without a receipt, the restaurant manager told the outlet.

RELATED: Panda Express Will Pay 'Hundreds of Thousands' of Customers in Class Action Lawsuit Over This Common Sneaky Practice — See If You're Owed, Too

Employees replaced his order, and Person left. But he quickly returned to throw the food in the workers' faces and attacked employees as he was escorted out of the restaurant.

The stabbed employee was taken to the hospital for their injuries and later released, according to News Nation.

Person fled the scene before police found and arrested him with the knife. He has been charged with two felonies, including first-degree assault and armed criminal action, as well as a misdemeanor of fourth-degree assault, according to KSDK.

RELATED: Meet the Billionaire Couple Behind Panda Express, Who Built a $3 Billion Fortune Selling 90 Million Pounds of Orange Chicken Each Year

He was taken into custody at the St. Louis County Justice Center on a $250,000 bond.

The store manager and the attacked employees have yet to be identified.

"The health and safety of our associates and guests is our top priority. We are grateful for the quick action of law enforcement and first responders, and thankful that our injured associates are on the path to recovery," Panda Express said in a statement. "We will continue to cooperate with local authorities as they continue their investigation. Out of privacy for those involved, we are unable to comment further."

Sam Silverman

Content Strategy Editor

Sam Silverman is a content strategy editor at Entrepreneur Media. She specializes in search engine optimization (SEO), and her work can be found in The US Sun, Nicki Swift, In Touch Weekly, Life & Style and Health. She writes for our news team with a focus on investigating scandals. Her coverage and expertise span from business news, entrepreneurship, technology, and true crime, to the latest in entertainment and TV news. Sam is a graduate of Lehigh University and currently resides in NYC. 

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick

Side Hustle

She Had Less Than $800 When She Started a Side Hustle — Then This Personal Advice From Tony Robbins Helped Her Make $45 Million

Cathryn Lavery built planner and conversation card deck company BestSelf Co. without any formal business education.

Business News

How Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang Transformed a Graphics Card Company Into an AI Giant: 'One of the Most Remarkable Business Pivots in History'

Here's how Nvidia pivoted its business to explore an emerging technology a decade in advance.

Business News

Want to Start a Business? Skip the MBA, Says Bestselling Author

Entrepreneur Josh Kaufman says that the average person with an idea can go from working a job to earning $10,000 a month running their own business — no MBA required.

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.