{"id":36481,"date":"2026-08-10T13:17:06","date_gmt":"2026-08-10T08:17:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=36481"},"modified":"2026-08-10T13:17:06","modified_gmt":"2026-08-10T08:17:06","slug":"indiana-prosecutors-refuse-to-file-charges-over-tim-hortons-customer-anita-graysons-death-after-she-died-following-brawl-with-manager","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=36481","title":{"rendered":"Indiana prosecutors refuse to file charges over Tim Hortons customer Anita Grayson&#8217;s death after she died following brawl with manager"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F2%2F2026%2F07%2F133713563.jpg?quality%3D90%26strip%3Dall\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Indiana prosecutors have revealed no charges will be filed over the death of a 75-year-old Tim Hortons customer, who <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/05\/20\/us-news\/indiana-woman-anita-grayson-75-dead-after-video-catches-fighting-tim-hortons-manager\/\">died following a bust-up with a drive-thru manager<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/07\/08\/us-news\/cause-of-death-revealed-for-tim-hortons-customer-anita-grayson-who-died-after-fighting-manager-over-drive-thru-issue\/\">Anita Grayson suffered a fatal flare-up <\/a>of congestive heart failure following the May 13 fight in the Fort Wayne coffeehouse \u2013 and her death sparked an investigation as authorities initially struggled to rule whether it was accidental or a homicide.<\/p>\n<p>Allen County prosecutors on Friday revealed no charges would be filed, clearing any staffers of wrongdoing, according to a report seen by The Post.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Anita Grayson scuffled with a Tim Hortons manager in May.  <span class=\"credit\">Fort Wayne Police Department<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Grayson, 75, holding a baby.  <span class=\"credit\">Gofundme<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Grayson, a mom of four, charged into the coffeehouse just after 8 a.m. and berated a 17-year-old staffer upset over her order, prompting the shift manager, 20, to intervene.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-primary-tag\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>The shift manager put her hands on Grayson in a bid to stop her from reaching the teen worker before being \u201cforcefully shoved,\u201d Fort Wayne <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cityoffortwayne.in.gov\/m\/newsflash\/Home\/Detail\/588\">investigators said.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The senior then struck the manager on the left side of her nose and she tried to retaliate. <\/p>\n<p>Grayson then grabbed the manager\u2019s face, scratched her and knocked off her glasses before yanking her hair and pulling her to the ground.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Then, two other Tim Hortons staffers rushed in and tried to pull the pair apart, but Grayson then pulled a clump of hair from the shift manager.<\/p>\n<p>She was then seen putting clumps of hair in her bag before being found unresponsive.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Grayson died from an \u201cacute exacerbation of congestive heart failure\u201d following the altercation, the coroner said. <span class=\"credit\">Fort Wayne Police Department<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Prosecutors refused to file charges as they said the shift manager was defending her colleague. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cGrayson\u2019s escalation to striking [the manager] in the face was not a proportionate or justified response to being touched on the shoulders,\u201d investigators said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs a matter of law, it is Grayson\u2019s blow, not [the manager\u2019s] earlier contact that started the altercation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The manager\u2019s actions \u201cdid not exceed what the ongoing struggle reasonably called for,\u201d investigators said.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>The coroner ruled Grayson\u2019s death \u201cundetermined,\u201d saying it could not be classified as natural, accidental or homicide. <span class=\"credit\">Fort Wayne Police Department<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>[Her] \u201cinitial intervention is independently justified as defense of a third person,\u201d investigators added.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe said she thought Grayson was going to attack the minor employee, so she stepped in. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cUnder Indiana law, the State cannot proceed unless it can disprove legal justification beyond a reasonable doubt, and on this record it cannot. The current conclusion is that no criminal charges will be filed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Grayson\u2019s manner of death was undetermined, Allen County coroners said last month.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Her death was the result of \u201cacute exacerbation of congestive heart failure in the setting of physical altercation,\u201d \u00a0E. Jon Brandenberger said in his ruling.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Police said Grayson ripped out a chunk of the Tim Hortons manager\u2019s hair during the struggle. <span class=\"credit\">Anita Grayson \/ Facebook<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cThe symptoms of congestive heart failure get worse when there is adrenaline flowing in a physical altercation, and then a sudden flare up of the heart failure, which then can lead to symptoms, or hospitalization, and even death,\u201d the coroner said.<\/p>\n<p>Coroners ruled out an accidental or natural death given the circumstances. <\/p>\n<p>Investigators also ruled out homicide after examining all of the evidence and said Grayson didn\u2019t suffer any \u201csignificant contributory injuries\u201d as a result of the fight.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere has been exhaustive investigation and review in the evidence of this case,\u201d Brandenberger said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe video was reviewed multiple times by the homicide detectives, by my staff, by the prosecutor, and by the forensic pathologist. Bodycam videos were reviewed. We listened to and transcribed the four 911 calls and multiple meetings.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAfter exhaustive review, we could not determine with reasonable certainty that Mrs. Grayson\u2019s death was either natural, or homicide, or accident.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTherefore the manner of death that is appropriate to use is undetermined, meaning could not be determined.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Grayson\u2019s family hired civil rights attorney Ben Crump to pursue potential litigation and her daughter, Tawnda Grayson, called for justice.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe was the best mother anyone could ask for \u2014 hardworking, compassionate, selfless, and always willing to help others before herself,\u201d Tawnda Grayson said. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Indiana prosecutors have revealed no charges will be filed over the death of a 75-year-old Tim Hortons customer, who died following a bust-up with a drive-thru manager. Anita Grayson suffered a fatal flare-up of congestive heart failure following the May 13 fight in the Fort Wayne coffeehouse \u2013 and her death sparked an investigation as&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":36482,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/133713563.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-36481","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-hub"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36481","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=36481"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36481\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/36482"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=36481"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=36481"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=36481"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}