Police in Texas are looking for a man who allegedly assaulted another while they were dining separately at a taco restaurant in Brownsville. The incident reportedly took place after one customer complained about a crying child while he was trying to eat. Instead of quieting the youngster, the man being sought by police chose to react violently.
According to Yahoo News, a man who was dining at Tacos de Marcelos became frustrated because a baby was crying and it seemed that nothing was being done to lessen the noise. The man allegedly told the child to be quiet, which angered its parents. The father of the fussy kid reportedly approached the table where the complaining customer was eating his food. According to Brownsville police, the man assaulted the other diner, punching him repeatedly.
Reports say the Texas man left the eatery before police could arrive on the scene. Even as of Friday, his identity is still unknown. Police in Brownsville are seeking the man, so that he can be charged with assaulting the other customer. The victim in the incident suffered some bruising, but is otherwise okay — so at least there’s that. In the meantime, officials have released still photos as well as security footage of the incident in hopes that someone in the public will step forward and help identify the Texas dad.
Surely, there will be some people who support the unidentified Texas man in this story — especially other parents. Nonetheless, he committed an act of violence when all the other customer did was ask the child to stop crying. Furthermore, reports aren’t really clarifying on exactly what was said or if the victim in the incident spoke directly to the child or if he asked the child’s parents to quiet the crying. Hopefully the Texas dad is identified, and more information can come out about the incident.
This isn’t the first time a parent has reacted violently when addressed about the noise their children are making in public places. In 2015, a woman named Terrie Elzie was sentenced to four months of jail and ordered to go through anger management after she was convicted in a situation similar to what happened in Texas. While shopping at a Nordstrom Rack store with her young nephew, Elzie assaulted a woman who asked her to quiet the child down. She reportedly punched the other shopper in the face multiple times.
There’s no doubt about it: When parents allow their kids to act out, cry or behave in a distracting way — it ruins the experience of others who might be trying to eat or enjoy their time out. If you’re paying for a meal, the last thing you want is to deal with a screaming child for the duration of it. It’s easy to see why the victim in this recent Texas incident spoke out and told the child to zip-it. However, the appropriate thing to do is to ask someone with the restaurant staff to ask the parents to quiet their child. Talking to someone else’s children — especially to scold them — rarely makes friends.
Chelsea Hoffman is a true crime writer with over a decade of professional writing experience. She is best known for her coverage of missing people including the tragic disappearance of Madeleine McCann as well as the heartbreaking cases of Dylan Redwine, Heather Elvis and many others.
