Background: Background: The Taco Bell in Memphis, Tenn., where employee Makayla Henderson allegedly hurled boiling water on co-worker Chris Jones (WMC/YouTube). Inset left: Chris Jones (WMC/YouTube). Inset right: Makayla Henderson (Shelby County (Tenn.) Sheriff's Office).
A Taco Bell employee in Tennessee claims she hurled boiling hot water on a co-worker who was "saying a whole bunch of inappropriate things" to her, leaving the victim with burns all over him and his skin "sliding off" his body, he says.
Makayla Henderson is facing an aggravated assault charge for the July 18 attack at a Taco Bell in Memphis on Knight Arnold Road, police report.
An arrest affidavit obtained by local NBC affiliate WMC says Henderson tossed the water onto victim Chris Jones, giving him second-degree burns on his arms, legs, groin and stomach. Jones spoke to the media outlet about the incident.
Henderson, who also spoke to WMC, claims Jones was "saying a whole bunch of inappropriate things that I did not like" and "kept coming into my personal space" before she tossed the hot water on him. Henderson says Jones was not working at the time but had been at the restaurant hanging out with employees.
"He kept getting mad that day," Henderson alleged, claiming Jones wouldn't leave her alone and attempted to take an iPad from her.
"I kept telling him, 'Can you get back?'" she recounted. "Before you know it, I had blanked out after asking him many times to give me my iPad, right? Before you know it, once I blanked out, I was just pouring water on him."
Jones allegedly told police that he and Henderson were "horse-playing" when she suddenly told him she was going to burn him. He admitted to WMC that he took Henderson's iPad and hid it as a joke after she threw his shirt in the garbage, but never expected her to follow through with the hot water threat.
"She just plays around … like when somebody says they're gonna beat you up… you feel me?" Jones told WMC. "I didn't think she was serious at first."
Henderson allegedly went to the back of the Taco Bell and grabbed a pot of boiling water and threw it on Jones moments later. She then fled the store, according to the affidavit.
"We used to be friends," Henderson told WMC about Jones. "We used to be close friends, but Chris just started liking me and started saying weird, inappropriate things to me that I did not like."
Cops arrested Henderson after launching an investigation and speaking with people at the Taco Bell. She was charged and ordered to take anger management classes, WMC reports.
Jones, meanwhile, has been recovering from surgery stemming from his burns.
"The skin came off," Jones said. "It's red, and it's gonna take a little time for it to heal."
Asked about his feelings now that Henderson has been charged, Jones told WMC, "She threw boiling hot water on somebody. You have to have punishable actions no matter if you blacked out or not."
Henderson was released on a $5,000 bond this week. She is scheduled to appear in court on Aug. 27.