MOSES LAKE, Wash. — An altercation between an 86-year-old customer and an employee at CJ’s Custom Meats in Moses Lake has gone viral, leaving the community wanting answers. The confrontation, captured on surveillance and body camera footage, stemmed from a customer complaint about a previous purchase and escalated into a physical altercation.
According to Moses Lake Police records, the incident occurred on July 17 when the elderly man visited the shop to buy ground beef. During the transaction, he mentioned that the casing on a prior purchase "tasted like plastic" and was “no damn good.” The employee reportedly asked the customer not to use profanity, but tensions grew after the man finalized his purchase.
The customer's daughter explained what happened next. “He [the employee] told him to get out of his store,” she said. “After he paid, my dad was doing that, but I think he had one last say.” That remark was reportedly about the employee’s attire. “He said, ‘I wouldn’t buy anything from a man that wears a skirt.’ So I think that’s really what fueled him.”
The police report states that the employee repeatedly asked the customer to leave before shoving him for stepping into his personal space. After the customer fell, the employee attempted to help him up, but the man punched him in the groin. Surveillance footage then shows the employee hitting the customer multiple times before calling police. Medics determined the man did not suffer significant injuries, and he declined medical care.
Mike Williams, Patrol Captain for Moses Lake Police Department, confirmed that the investigation took about two months and was turned over to the Grant County Prosecuting Attorney on September 18. “The investigation was done—I believe—thoroughly, and thorough investigations take time,” Williams said.
In a statement, CJ’s Custom Meats confirmed the employee involved has been terminated pending the investigation’s outcome. The shop’s attorney stated they believe the employee acted in self-defense.
Both parties are reportedly working toward a resolution. The prosecutor has yet to announce whether charges will be filed in the case.