Why, That’s Waaaasist!

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“She was the best mother anyone could ask for — hardworking, compassionate, selfless, and always willing to help others before herself,” Tawnda Grayson said.

Indiana prosecutors have revealed no charges will be filed over the death of a 75-year-old Tim Hortons customer, who died following a bust-up with a drive-thru manager.

Anita Grayson suffered a fatal flare-up of congestive heart failure following the May 13 fight in the Fort Wayne coffeehouse – and her death sparked an investigation as authorities initially struggled to rule whether it was accidental or a homicide.

Allen County prosecutors on Friday revealed no charges would be filed, clearing any staffers of wrongdoing, according to a report seen by The Post.

Grayson charged into the coffeehouse just after 8 a.m. and berated a 17-year-old staffer upset over her order, prompting the shift manager, 20, to intervene. 

The shift manager put her hands on Grayson in a bid to stop her from reaching the teen worker before being “forcefully shoved,” Fort Wayne investigators said.

The senior then struck the manager on the left side of her nose and she tried to retaliate.

Grayson then grabbed the manager’s face, scratched her and knocked off her glasses before yanking her hair and pulling her to the ground. 

Then, two other Tim Hortons staffers rushed in and tried to pull the pair apart, but Grayson then pulled a clump of hair from the shift manager.

She was then seen putting clumps of hair in her bag before being found unresponsive.

Grayson died from an “acute exacerbation of congestive heart failure” following the altercation, the coroner said.Fort Wayne Police Department

Prosecutors refused to file charges as they said the shift manager was defending her colleague.

…. The manager’s actions “did not exceed what the ongoing struggle reasonably called for,” investigators said.

[Her] “initial intervention is independently justified as defense of a third person,” investigators added.

“She said she thought Grayson was going to attack the minor employee, so she stepped in.

“Under Indiana law, the State cannot proceed unless it can disprove legal justification beyond a reasonable doubt, and on this record it cannot. The current conclusion is that no criminal charges will be filed.”

“The symptoms of congestive heart failure get worse when there is adrenaline flowing in a physical altercation, and then a sudden flare up of the heart failure, which then can lead to symptoms, or hospitalization, and even death,” the coroner said.

Investigators also ruled out homicide after examining all of the evidence and said Grayson didn’t suffer any “significant contributory injuries” as a result of the fight.

“There has been exhaustive investigation and review in the evidence of this case,” Brandenberger said.

“The video was reviewed multiple times by the homicide detectives, by my staff, by the prosecutor, and by the forensic pathologist. Bodycam videos were reviewed. We listened to and transcribed the four 911 calls and multiple meetings.

“After exhaustive review, we could not determine with reasonable certainty that Mrs. Grayson’s death was either natural, or homicide, or accident. 

“Therefore the manner of death that is appropriate to use is undetermined, meaning could not be determined.”

Earlier last month, Grayson’s daughter, Tawnda Grayson, called for the arrest of the Tim Hortons employees involved in the fight, accusing them of being responsible for her mom’s death.

“If our police here would just do what we pay our taxes for them to do, which is protect and serve, we wouldn’t be here,” Tawnda told WANE 15 at a protest following the incident. “Y’all have to lock them up, y’all don’t understand. My mother is gone… I want justice for my mom.”

“You should not enter a coffee shop for a coffee and a doughnut and come out unalived. That is diabolical,” she told WPTA.

“That’s the elderly lady. That’s not how we treat our senior citizens. We be careful with them. We make sure that they’re all right. We don’t jump on them and attack them. And scare them to death.”

Regrettably, Ms. Grayson did not specify which particular taxes she actually pays to ensure that customers who enter restaurants to attack its employees don’t come out “unalived”. But of course, because every day is pay day in some communities (and just possibly because wrongful death damages come tax-free) Grayson’s family has hired self-promoting, ambulance-chasing civil rights attorney Ben Crump to pursue potential litigation. Here’s the late, unlamented Mr. George Floyd’s lawyer in action: