Posted on 01/21/2005 6:45:17 AM PST by Cagey
A hulking Boston bodyguard was arrested yesterday, accused of hurling a scalding Starbucks coffee at a meter maid who slapped a ticket on his illegally parked Hummer in the Back Bay.
The alleged attack unfolded about 8:30 a.m. when Christi Noviello, 44, was walking her Berkeley and Boylston streets beat and saw the black Hummer parked in a loading zone with a woman in the passenger seat.
``I am a nice meter maid,'' Noviello told the Herald yesterday in an exclusive interview. ``As a courtesy, I gave the lady a chance to move, but she pointed at the Starbucks and refused.''
Noviello wrote a $55 ticket, and slid it under the Hummer's windshield wiper - apparently enraging its driver, Francois Youhanna.
``He started yelling, `I don't accept this ticket!' He had a Venti-sized cup of black coffee in his hand, and he flung it right in my face,'' said Noviello, just hours after she was treated for first- and second-degree burns on her face and upper torso at New England Medical Center.
``I went down, I was panicking. It hurt so bad, I thought my face was falling off,'' she said. ``It was in my eyes, I was screaming.''
Starbucks employees rushed out of the store with wet cloths to soothe the burns, as cops arrested Youhanna for assault and battery with a deadly weapon, the hot coffee, which is a felony.
Youhanna insistedhe spilled the coffee on Noviello by mistake after slipping on some ice and falling, a story his female companion echoed. But witnesses said Youhanna - who is 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds - charged at the meter maid and was very close to her face when the coffee was thrown.
He told cops he owned Gavilier Security Patrol, a bodyguard service that lists his West Roxbury home as the company's address. When a relative was reached at Youhanna's home, the man hung up when asked to comment on the incident.
Youhanna, a native of Lebanon, pleaded not guilty yesterday in Boston Municipal Court and was released on personal recognizance on condition he stay out of trouble and away from the meter maid. A pretrial conference date was set for Feb. 23.
Last year, 16 meter maids were physically assaulted and another 48 were threatened or harassed, said Tom Tinlin, deputy commissioner of the Boston Transportation Department.
``It's appalling. This behavior should not be tolerated in a civilized world,'' Tinlin said yesterday. ``Christi is one of the nicest people I know. For her to be subjected to such behavior while performing your job is a disgrace.''
Actually I do. The smirk I get when I ask for an extra large black coffee brings joy to my heart. If I've had an exceptionally bad day I will even flirt with the militant feminist goth girl for a little additional attitude.
How do you know he isn't a Christian? About 40% of Lebanese are if I remember correctly.
Maybe it costs twenty dollars or do they have any that cheap?
So, even more reason to boycott Starbucks, right? I heard yesterday that the company supports gun control.
"A native of Lebanon." Religion of pieces, perhaps?
Nor should it be tolerated in Boston.
yeah I know.....one of my best friends at the gym is a huge Lebonese guy who is not muslim......I was trying for some early morning humor.......lighten up, it is friday
""A native of Lebanon." Religion of pieces, perhaps?
"
Not necessarily. With the first name of Francois, I'd guess he's a Catholic. There are lots of Christians in Lebanon, you know. Think Danny Thomas.
goodness.......it was a small humor post...of course we don't know..........
"I was trying for some early morning humor.......lighten up, it is friday"
I'm not attacking you. I'm just pointing out information others might not know. It wasn't funny, though.
Quite correct, but still Arab.
This thread has had some of the funniest comments I've ever read here. So many good posts. Thanks all. I'm starting the day in a happy mood. I may even go to Starbuck's and ask for a medium drink and hold the whipped cream and chocolate shavings.
Figures, they let an arab go after catch and release.
Lock the bastard up or he will jump back to the gutter of his homeland.
LOL! Thanks for a nice morning chuckle. :-)
Mister, can I get me a grande here?
There's a difference between permanent disfigurement and death. The crime he is charged with is assault with a deadly weapon. Assault is defined as the threat or intent to cause bodily injury to another. Clearly, he is guilty of assault. However, I am unaware of anyone who ever died from having a venti coffee spilled or thrown at them. (Now if it were a mega venti, I might agree with the charge.)
If he had lunged at her with a knife or a baseball bat, the charge would be valid. But in this case, I think he is merely guilty of assault.
A person can experience heart trauma from extreme hot or cold changes, and if she had inhaled the coffee it could have scalded her lungs. As silly as the whole thing looks, what this guy did was pretty bad, and potentially dangerous.
His lawyer will probably talk it down, but it wasn't an unreasonable charge to start out with.
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