Police said 37-year-old Joseph Ward became angry after the man took too long to order at Anna’s Taqueria on Harvard Street.
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A Brookline firefighter faces assault charges after allegedly beating up a man for ordering his food too slowly.
A witness on a bike told police that he saw a man, later identified as Ward, come out of the restaurant, call the victim a “homeless (expletive)”, push him and punch him in the face.
MyFoxBoston reports Ward did not answer the door Monday night.
After the man fell down, Ward threw a bottle and a few food at him, witnesses said.
Ward, a 10-year veteran of the department who Brookline police Lt. Philip Harrington said was off-duty at the time of the incident, was released on personal recognizance by Judge Mary Dacey White.
‘I was afraid he was going to kill him’.
Witnesses said the 37-year-old Ward followed the other customer outside, where he attacked the man.
Ward, of Dorchester, is a 1997 graduate of Brookline High School.
Ward has since been placed on administrative leave, according to CBS Boston. According to the police report, he fled the scene and was found on a nearby street, where he told investigators the victim challenged him to a fight after placing his order.
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The victim was hospitalized for minor injuries after the attack.
