Paris Whataburger Employees Fend Off Attacker With Fry Basket, Trash Can

A patron’s cellphone video captured Whataburger staff at the North Main Street restaurant in Paris, Texas, using a wire fry basket and a trash can to fend off an alleged attacker, and police arrested a suspect who was charged with assault resulting in bodily injury and public intoxication. The incident occurred on Feb. 22, 2026, and the suspect was identified as 41-year-old Anthony William Newhuis of Spring, Texas.

The video, recorded by customer Billy Jones while he was eating inside the restaurant, shows a man dressed in all black enter and begin attacking a worker, Jones told reporters. In the footage an employee strikes the man on the head with a wire fry basket, knocking him to the floor, and the manager then repeatedly smacks the alleged attacker with a trash can as other employees shout for someone to press the panic button and call 911.

According to a Paris Police Department press release, officers later located the suspect in the restaurant’s back parking lot where he was bleeding from his head. Police arrested Newhuis following the incident and booked charges described in the press release as assault resulting in bodily injury and public intoxication. The press release did not list any bookings, bond amounts, or court dates in the material provided.

Whataburger’s corporate communications responded with a partial statement saying, "Guest and employee security are a top priority… fully cooperating," and the company said it was cooperating with investigators. The mobile video circulated widely on social platforms, prompting local viewers and social posts to label the footage viral as reports from inside and outside the community amplified the clip.

News coverage and the police release identify the core actions taken inside the restaurant but do not name the employee who used the fry basket or the manager who used the trash can. The police press release quoted in reporting did not specify whether any employees or customers required medical treatment, nor did it offer a motive for the alleged attack. The original mobile recording credited to Billy Jones is the primary public record of the struggle captured inside the counter area.

With Newhuis charged and in police custody, the next verifiable developments will be any booking details, arraignment dates, and a fuller account from Paris Police Department incident records or Whataburger’s franchise management about alarm procedures and employee safety measures used that night.