Florida fast food worker foils would-be carjacker

FORT WALTON BEACH, Fla. -- An  Okaloosa County Chick-fil-A worker temporarily tabled his fast food restaurant duties when he intervened to stop a man who was trying to carjack a customer Wednesday afternoon.

The Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office said William Branch, 43, of DeFuniak Springs is facing charges of carjacking and battery in connection with an incident at a Fort Walton Beach Chick-fil-A. Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office

The scuffle between the suspect and the worker was caught on video by another customer waiting to be served. 

"A major shout-out to this young man for his courage!" the sheriff's office said in a social media post.

William Branch, 43, of DeFuniak Springs, is facing charges of battery and carjacking in connection with the incident, which occurred at the restaurant at 743 Beal Pkwy., the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office said in a written statement.

According to investigators, a woman with a baby was exiting her car at the eatery when the suspect allegedly approached her while brandishing a stick and demanded her car keys.

The woman began screaming for help as the suspect grabbed her keys and entered the vehicle, prompting the fast food worker to come to the woman's aid.

The suspect punched the worker, who was not immediately identified, in the face but the employee was not seriously injured investigators said.

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