A 75-year-old Indiana woman died after a dispute over a Tim Hortons drive-thru order turned into a physical altercation with a shift manager at a Fort Wayne location, according to police.
The incident happened just after 8 a.m. on May 13 at a Tim Hortons in Fort Wayne, about 120 miles from Indianapolis. Fort Wayne police identified the woman as Anita Grayson, as reported by The New York Post.
According to the Fort Wayne Police Department, Grayson entered the restaurant after becoming upset about her drive-thru order and confronted a 17-year-old female employee.
A 75-year-old woman died after an altercation inside a Tim Hortons in Fort Wayne, according to police. Investigators say surveillance footage captured the confrontation and no arrests have been made as officials await medical findings. #OnTheGriohttps://t.co/SqKocL7ExV
— theGrio.com (@theGrio) May 20, 2026
Surveillance footage released by police showed Grayson pointing and shouting at the worker before a 20-year-old shift manager stepped in and told Grayson to leave.
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Police said the manager touched Grayson when Grayson moved toward the teenage employee. Investigators said Grayson then pushed the manager and punched her on the left side of the face. Police said the punch left scratches and knocked the manager’s glasses off.
As Grayson moved closer, the manager pushed her back, according to police. Grayson then allegedly placed her hand in the manager’s face, leading to a fight that ended with both women on the floor.
“Ms. Grayson then grabbed the shift lead by the hair and pulled her to the ground and rolled on top of her. The shift lead can be seen swatting at Grayson’s arm as she is being held by her hair,” the department said.
“Two Tim Hortons employees moved in and attempted to separate them, but struggled to get the shift lead’s hair out of Grayson’s hand. During the struggle, Ms. Grayson pulled a chunk of hair from the shift lead’s head, leaving a raw area on the top of her head.”
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Fort Wayne police responded to a 911 call reporting an “altercation involving a reported battery.” Officers found Grayson unresponsive.
Investigators said that after the fight ended, employees went back behind the counter while Grayson sat at a table and made a phone call. About 10 minutes later, Grayson lay down on the floor.
Paramedics performed lifesaving measures at the scene, but Grayson later died at a hospital, police said. Her cause of death was not disclosed in the initial police report.
Grayson’s daughter, Tawnda Grayson, told WPTA that her mother had congestive heart failure and had been wearing a heart monitor one week before the altercation. She called for action after her mother’s death.
“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.”
The Fort Wayne Police Department said it had not originally planned to release the surveillance footage.
The department said it later released the video to address “a dangerously false narrative” spreading online after a partial clip circulated on social media. Police said the shorter clip showed only the fight and ended with Grayson on the floor.
UPDATE: Fort Wayne Police Release Facts and CCW Video in Tim Hortons death of a 75-year-old woman Investigation The Fort Wayne Police Department (FWPD) has released a full timeline and surveillance video from the May 13 incident at Tim Hortons that resulted in the tragic death of… pic.twitter.com/161GfPyP61
— Victor Bigham 🇺🇸 (@Ravious101) May 19, 2026
The Allen County Coroner’s Office has not yet ruled on Grayson’s cause and manner of death. According to WPTA, preliminary findings showed there were “no significant contributory injuries.”
The case remains under review as authorities wait for the coroner’s final findings.
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