‘Mayhem’ at NC gas station injures 2, leaves QT trashed. Police reviewing viral video
The QuikTrip convenience store chain has asked police “to pursue all legal remedies” against those involved in a massive brawl that hurt an employee and a disabled customer and trashed one of its stores in Gastonia early Sunday.
A video of the melee posted on Facebook shows no police response to the Franklin Boulevard store for at least six minutes.
“We believe it was premeditated to cause mayhem and destruction of personal property,” QuikTrip spokesperson Mike Thornbrugh said in a statement to The Charlotte Observer on Tuesday.
“QuikTrip has and will continue to supply law enforcement with all video surveillance and still photos of all those involved,” Thornbrugh said. “We are asking law enforcement to pursue all legal remedies and we are exploring all civil recourse available to us as well.
“QuikTrip will NOT tolerate any actions that puts our employees and customers in harm’s way,” according to the company statement.
Gastonia police reported Thursday that they have a suspect in the incident and are asking the public for help locating Elijah Ansean Stowe, 20 of Gastonia.
He is wanted on charges including felony assault with a deadly weapon with serious injury, felony inciting a riot, injury to personal property, and simple affray, a release said.
The video shows an employee kneeling and holding a cloth to her head. Shelves are ransacked, with food and other items littering the floor. One person yells repeatedly, “Y’all going to jail!” although no police appear to be present.
A crowd of people inside the store then head out to the parking lot, where a fight appeared to emerge and the sound of a possible gun shot rings out, causing everyone to scatter.
A customer told WSOC-TV that brawlers attacked and bloodied him and hit his disabled stepfather as well.
Police have released no information about arrests or what they believe happened in the Quik Trip in the 1800 block of West Franklin Boulevard, a main thoroughfare through the city. In a tweet Monday afternoon, police said only that the “aggravated assault” “is under investigation and being investigated from every angle.”
About 30 people were involved, the Gaston Gazette reported, citing police spokeswoman Donna Lahser.
A Facebook video of the brawl has been viewed at least 150,000 times over a two-day period.
Police asked anyone with information to call the department at 704-866-6880.
Police have not addressed why it took so long to respond to the brawl, but officers were at the scene of a nearby fatal wreck at nearly the same time. In that case, two pedestrians were killed by a suspected impaired driver, according to police. Gastonia officers arrested a 24-year-old woman, public records show.
Charles Henry Love, 61, and Keytiada Cooke, 31, both of Gastonia, died at a hospital after a car hit them as they walked on a sidewalk in the 400 block of East Long Avenue around 2:15 a.m., police said.
Katelyn Abernathy, also of Gastonia, was charged with two counts of death by vehicle, felony hit/run serious injury/death, failure to maintain lane control, DWI and registration plate/card expired, police said.
Gastonia City Council member Robert Kellogg said on Facebook both incidents saddened him. He was “absolutely disgusted at the total display of disregard for humanity in the QT video,” he posted. “I have to say that not only was a clerk injured, but individuals were laughing and reveling in the mayhem.”
Kellogg said the city “will not tolerate this type of behavior and I am convinced that those responsible for starting this mess, which has gone viral, will be brought to justice.”
He said he was angered “because we are not this and this is not Gastonia.”
“With so much good happening and so many positive events in the past year, it is unfortunate that this is the image that thousands will have of our beloved City,” Kellogg said.
This story was originally published February 4, 2020 at 1:27 PM.