‘I have a gun:’ Man throws chair at, threatens Tijuana Flats employee in Jacksonville

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — How does someone walking in on someone in the bathroom turn into a terrifying scene in a matter of minutes?

An employee at Tijuana Flats off Airport Rd. found out on Monday Night. David Scott was the manager on duty, and eventually, the man who got attacked.

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“Came into the restaurant quietly, like anyone else,” Scott said.

He said it started when a DoorDash driver walked in on this man, crouched on the ground in the bathroom, with the lights off.

“He immediately kind of flew into a rage at the DoorDash driver, cursing them out for walking in on him in the restroom.”

The man came out demanding answers and started harassing the staff, thinking it was one of them who walked in on him.

“Ran to the front counter and started harassing one of my cashiers,” Scott said.

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The man walked around the cashier and toward the kitchen, eventually threatening the staff, including David Scott.

“He came around the corner cursing, like around the register area, standing in my face cursing at me, and said something along the lines of do you have the gun, I have a gun.”

That’s when a customer started recording, where the video we have, started.

“That’s when he started getting really violent and trying to hit him and then eventually he started threatening to shoot everybody,” the customer who recorded the incident said.

She did not want to reveal her identity as the man in the video was so unpredictable, but in the video she shot, you can see Scott telling the man to leave.

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Then things got more violent. The man picked up a highchair and threw it at Scott. He started throwing punches, cursing, and acting as if he was going to pull out a gun. It didn’t appear, according to the woman who recorded the video, that he actually had one.

“When he first turned around after shoving me the second time in the video that’s when he turned right instead of throwing chairs and, you know, threw a punch at me,” said Scott.

Eventually Scott guided the man toward the door, and once the man left, watched him go to his car. However, he became scared when he thought the man was pulling a gun from the car. He turned and told everyone to get to the back; that the man had a gun.

“I think he just went out to see you know what the guy was up to out there because he kept threatening to shoot everybody and kill everybody,” the witness said.

“My only thought was defense. I need to get them out of there. I need to keep him from hurting anyone else the best I could,” Scott added.

“That’s when you heard me screaming. Because the guy was so irrational, I thought he was going to shoot through the glass.”

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Now, both the witness and David Scott say they hope the man is found, and they hope he gets help.

“We’re just asking for help in getting this man identified.”

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