Fight over crab legs results in one injury, two arrests

HUNTSVILLE — In an unusual case that has already made the rounds on national news, a fight between a man and a woman over crab legs at Meteor Buffet in Huntsville has left that man injured and resulted in the arrest of both.

John Chapman, 71, and Chequita Jenkins, 39, had been waiting more than 10 minutes for crab legs to come out in the buffet, and a dispute broke out in the rush to grab some once they did.

A Huntsville police officer witnessed the incident firsthand.

“Everyone was saying, ‘They cut me in line. She cut me in line. He cut me in line. I was here first,'” Gerald Johnson told WHNT. “… When they finally came out, it’s very heated. Especially if someone is taking more than their fair share.”

Johnson went on to explain to WHNT that he heard serving tongs clashing, plates shattering and people moving around not more than a couple bites into his own meal.

Chapman received a cut on his head. Jenkins, who was dining with her kids at the buffet, suffered no injuries. Jenkins was charged with third-degree assault, and Chapman faces a charge for disorderly conduct. Both Chapman and Jenkins were booked into the Madison County Jail around 6 p.m. Feb. 22 and were released a few hours later. WHNT reports that Chapman will be in court next on March 21.

Johnson went on to say that after cooling down, Chapman and Jenkins “admitted their tempers got the best of them.”

Both brawlers could face a few hundred dollars in fines.