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'Hurry Up' Remark Sparks Taco Bell Fight

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By KYLE MARTIN

Hernando Today

Published: January 12, 2009

SPRING HILL - Two people came to blows Sunday in the Taco Bell drive-thru after one yelled at the car ahead to "hurry up," according to Hernando deputies.

After Jason Lauth made his remark, two people got out of the car ahead of him and started walking toward him, deputies reported. Lauth also got out of his van, grabbed one of the approaching men by the shirt and cocked back his fist, a report shows.

Before he could swing, though, Lauth was punched in the face by the man's companion, who later told a deputy he was trying to protect his friend.

Lauth returned to the van and the van's driver, David Stanier, drove away as Taco Bell staff called authorities. Stanier didn't get far from the restaurant on Commercial Way before deputies pulled him over around 1:15 a.m.

A deputy split Lauth and the driver, Stanier, apart for separate interviews.
Asked for identification, Stanier, reportedly said he couldn't produce any because his license had been suspended. Asked how much he had to drink that night, Stanier replied, "A lot," according to a report.

Lauth, who was "clearly intoxicated," according to the report, initially told the deputy he was beaten up at Taco Bell. But when the deputy asked him to talk about the fight, he denied fighting, despite the grass stains on his shirt and a mark on his nose, a report states.

When the deputy reminded him of his original statement, Lauth called the deputy a liar, a report states.

Lauth, 37, was charged with misdemeanor battery; Stanier, 35, was charged with DUI.

Reporter Kyle Martin can be reached at 352-544-5271 or kmartin@hernandotoday.com

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