Fight over sandwich leads to charges

(ABC 6 News) – An update on the confrontation that happened last week at a Subway restaurant in Rochester.

As we reported, a fight broke out between employees and a customer, with the customer receiving multiple charges, including making terroristic threats. But the woman charged is now sharing her side of the story.

RELATED: Rochester woman allegedly fought way into sandwich shop to continue altercation

The woman being charged, Vanessa Wright, 33, told officers that when she confronted an employee about her sandwich being too small, the employee assaulted her and attempted to lock her in the store.

According to Wright, “people aren’t telling the full story.”

Wright says she began recording inside the restaurant when she confronted the employee for making her sandwich too small.

Subway Owner, Ummana Patel said they make all of their sandwiches the same and there was no reason for the fight to escalate.

Wright says at one point, she picked up a gift card holder located on the counter, but never hit the employee with it, as the police report claimed.

“I’m confused because I am trying to see what video the police watched. What did they see? They didn’t see these two people teaming on me? They didn’t see these people trying to take my wallet, they didn’t see the man take my phone and put it in his back pocket, they only saw the bad part,” Wright said.

According to Olmsted County Court documents, when police officers obtained security footage of the incident, they observed employees telling Wright to leave as she told a worker she planned to grab and “beat” him.

Wright was also visible on video striking an employee with a gift card holder on the counter, according to court documents.

Wright faces charges of 5th-degree assault, 4th-degree burglary, and terroristic threats.

Patel said it’s the terroristic threats charge that is a concern for employees.

“I’m so scared. I have my business in this kind of community where people just physically assault,” Patel said.

ABC 6 News has not seen the restaurant’s surveillance video and is working to obtain that.

Wright says she never attacked anyone physically, and that she has now unfairly lost her job over this.

But owner Ummana Patel says she is going forward with a lawsuit and wants “justice to be served.”

Wright is scheduled to appear in court Sept. 20, 2022.