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Hernando Today

'Hurry Up' Remark Sparks Taco Bell Fight

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By KYLE MARTIN

Hernando Today

Published: January 13, 2009

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

His remark was apparently not appreciated because two people got out of the car and started walking over. The instigator who yelled, Jason 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 strike, 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, took off as Taco Bell staff called authorities. Stanier didn't get far from the restaurant on Commercial Way before responding deputies pulled him over around 1:15 a.m.

A deputy split Lauth and the driver, Stanier, apart for separate interviews, beginning with Stanier, 35.

Asked for identification, Stanier, reportedly said he couldn't produce any because his license had been suspended. Asked how much he had drunk that night, Stanier replied, "A lot," according to a report.

Lauth, who was "clearly intoxicated," initially told the deputy that he was beaten up at Taco Bell. But when the deputy asked him to talk about the fight, he denied ever 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 acted shocked and called the deputy a liar, a report states.

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

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

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