The term “hangry” has been around on the internet for years, but this Ohio man definitely embodies the definition. James Wicker of Wellsville appeared to be extremely hungry when he visited a Dairy Queen in East Liverpool, Ohio. The trouble began when he didn’t get his order quickly enough, arriving just as a shift change was happening. Feeling this was unacceptable, Wicker stormed into the employee area and attempted to attack a female worker, Rian Wehrhan, who was preparing food. He landed one punch before her coworker intervened, grabbing him from behind.
Another female Dairy Queen employee tried to stop the altercation by pushing the coworker away, but after recovering, Wehrhan immediately retaliated, attempting to put Wicker in a chokehold. His face turned red from the lack of oxygen, but he eventually managed to break free. Fortunately, two men arrived and pulled the angry Ohio man away before the situation could escalate further. As he was being pulled away, Wicker and Wehrhan exchanged heated words.
Wicker soon left the Dairy Queen, but the police, who had been notified of the situation, continued their investigation. They turned to the public for help, uploading the security camera footage to their Facebook page in hopes someone could identify the suspect. Wicker’s identity was quickly revealed, and he was charged with one count of assault.
Wehrhan, while not overly shocked by the incident, mentioned that her jaw was still hurting and would likely swell significantly. She explained that she decided to fight back because she didn’t want Wicker to harm the other Dairy Queen employees, noting that the kitchen was filled with knives and hot oil.
Many people were unimpressed by the Ohio man’s behavior. Some Reddit users even poked fun at him, with one commenting, “Bet he won’t try that at a Waffle House.” Another user mocked how the man started the fight yet was quickly overpowered and ended up in a chokehold. “He got his ass beat by kids, lol,” one commenter said.
Other users expressed concern that the Dairy Queen workers might face consequences for defending themselves. While they were protecting a colleague, they technically did engage in physical action against a customer, and some worried that an unreasonable employer might not look kindly on that.
One user questioned why the second female employee tried to stop the coworker who stepped in to defend Wehrhan. “I never understand why people stop the person who’s actually protecting someone from being assaulted. Like, what goes through their mind? ‘Oh, let me stop this person from helping so the attacker can continue’???” the user wrote.