Cops seek coffee-chucking patron in donut dustup

The customer said he paid. The donut lady said he owed a few bucks more. So in a display of temper more suited to a preschool playground than a Mantua donut shop, the customer chucked his scalding coffee back at the donut lady as he stormed out, cussing at her and another customer who dared intervene.

And with that, a criminal case was born. Police are now seeking the public's help in identifying the bespectacled, mustachioed madman who left the donut lady with severe burns.

The incident occurred at 11:05 a.m. Tuesday at the Fresh Donuts store at 3914 Lancaster Ave., police said. From the video, it appears the customer did pay, but a dispute arose over the amount, as the clerk appeared to say he was about $2.40 short. "I paid you for my sandwich, lady!" the increasingly agitated man shouted as a worker handed him a cup of coffee. The customer hurled it right back at her, eliciting a squeal from behind the counter and the concern of at least one other customer, who appeared to confront the coffee-chucker as he stomped out.

The man, who faces aggravated assault charges, was accompanied by another man and was seen arriving in a tan or gold Cadillac. He is described as a tall black man in his 40s, about 6-foot-1 tall and 200 pounds. He was wearing a tan suit and tie, tan shoes and a gold watch. His friend had a green baseball cap and also wore a tan suit jacket.

Tipsters can call Southwest Detectives at (215) 686-3183.