PHOENIX — A Phoenix man is behind bars after a fight at a fast food restaurant over the weekend escalated into a hostage situation, city police said.
The incident started Saturday afternoon when 22-year-old Kasai Byrd allegedly jumped, shirtless, over the counter of a Jack in the Box near 3rd Avenue and McDowell Road.
Callers reportedly told police that Byrd was assaulting the manager and had taken one of the employees against her will, demanding that everyone leave the restaurant.
When police arrived, Byrd reportedly dragged the employee into a smaller dishwashing room. Officers rushed in to save the woman and Byrd resisted arrest, trying to use the woman's body as a shield from police, authorities said.
During the ensuing scuffle, he kicked one of the officers' knees so hard that they had to be taken to the hospital after the incident, according to court documents.
Byrd was eventually handcuffed and taken to the hospital. He was booked into jail upon his release.
Investigators learned that Byrd had been denied service "due to him not having a shirt on and his behavior." Byrd allegedly climbed over the counter and began yelling at employees, and tried to grab their phones away when they called 911.
He's now facing several possible charges including robbery, burglary, kidnapping, and assaulting an officer. Byrd is being held on a $100,000 bond.
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