Police: Man Choked Cashier For Bagging Groceries Wrong

NEW CUMBERLAND, Pa. (CBS Local) -- A Pennsylvania man assaulted an employee after he became upset with the way his groceries were being bagged, authorities said.

Bradley A. Bower, 55, was in the checkout line at a Giant Food Store in New Cumberland Feb. 2 when he became upset. Bower became angry when a cashier put canned goods in the same grocery bag as chips, smashing the chips, according to police.

Bower asked the cashier to stop bagging his groceries that way and then, on his way out of the store, he allegedly told the cashier: "Do you have a problem with me? Because I have a problem with you."

The cashier, who said he thought Bower was kidding, replied: "Do you?"

That's when Bower, described by police as 6-foot-tall, weighing 250 pounds, allegedly grabbed the employee by the neck and shouted "You idiot!" The cashier told police he shoved Bower away from him, and other employees then stepped in to separate them.

The employee suffered bruising to his neck, police said.

When police arrived, they viewed security video from the store and issued a simple assault summons for Bower.

Police say Bower told officers he knew he was in the wrong, but he was having a bad day and his chips being smashed sent him over the edge, CBS affiliate WHP reported.