A Fort Walton Beach Chick-fil-A was serving up more than just chicken Wednesday when an employee rushed to save a woman from an attempted carjacking.
An unnamed woman was just getting out of her car with her infant baby in tow, when William Branch, 43, reportedly approached her, wielding a stick and demanding her keys, according to a statement from the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office. Branch then grabbed her keys from the waistband of her pants, opened her car door and climbed inside. The woman screamed for help and a young fast food worker came to her rescue, the Sheriff’s Office reported.
In reference to the FWB Chick-fil-A employee who ran to help a woman with a baby who was being carjacked, we want to say a sincere thank you to Ms. Kelner for providing video of a portion of the encounter. (see prior post). A major shout-out to this young man for his courage! pic.twitter.com/2Lcwe46azv
— OkaloosaSheriff (@OCSOALERTS) September 14, 2022
Video footage of the event shows the heroic employee wrestling with Branch in the parking lot for a few moments before the police arrived. The employee sustained a punch to the face but was not seriously injured, police say. Employees informed the police that Branch was reportedly involved in another incident at the restaurant before the attempted carjacking took place, according to the statement from the Sheriff’s Office. (RELATED: Married Police Officers Stop Robbery During Dinner Date)
William Branch of DeFuniak Springs is charged with #carjacking with a weapon & battery after he grabbed car keys from a woman with a baby outside Chick-fil-A on Beal Pkway and got into her car. An employee intervened after hearing the woman screaming. Branch was wielding a stick. pic.twitter.com/J9sGh58Z2p
— OkaloosaSheriff (@OCSOALERTS) September 14, 2022
Branch was arrested and charged with carjacking with a weapon and battery, according to the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office.
The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) indicates that Chick-fil-A has been ranked as having the highest satisfaction among American fast food restaurants. With service like this, it’s not hard to see why.