Police said the confrontation began after employees asked a customer to leave the restaurant following concerns about his interaction with a cashier.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A McDonald’s employee suffered a broken right arm that required surgery during a confrontation with a customer who had been asked to leave the restaurant, according to an arrest affidavit. Police later arrested Javaunn Brown on an aggravated assault charge.
Metro Nashville police first encountered Brown at a bus stop near the McDonald’s on Eighth Avenue South, the affidavit said. Brown told officers that restaurant workers had harassed him “for no reason at all.” Officers then went to the restaurant and spoke with employees, who provided a different account of what had happened.
Employees told police that Brown had been flirting with a female cashier in a way that made her uncomfortable. Her coworker, Ethan Caldwell, noticed the situation and asked the cashier to go into the back of the restaurant, according to the affidavit. Caldwell then told Brown that the dining room was closing and that he needed to leave.
Caldwell followed Brown toward the entrance because he planned to lock the door after Brown left, according to police. The affidavit alleges that Brown pulled the door hard and quickly as Caldwell was preparing to secure it, causing Caldwell to break his right arm. The injury was serious enough to require surgery.
Caldwell was taken to a hospital after reporting severe pain, according to the affidavit. The available reports did not provide additional details about his recovery or say when the surgery would take place. No other injuries were reported in connection with the confrontation.
The accounts released publicly come largely from the arrest affidavit and reflect allegations made during the initial police investigation. Brown’s statement to officers differed from the employees’ account, with Brown saying he had been harassed while workers described concerns about his behavior toward the cashier.
Police charged Brown with aggravated assault. The charge is an allegation and does not establish guilt. The reports reviewed Monday did not provide a court disposition or identify an attorney speaking on Brown’s behalf in connection with the case.
The incident remained a criminal case under Nashville authorities as of Monday, with the broken arm and circumstances surrounding the restaurant confrontation forming the basis of the reported aggravated assault allegation.
Author note: Last updated September 21, 2026.