A routine breakfast at a Los Angeles Wendy’s spiraled into a terrifying showdown when two customers began hurling chairs at each other and one pulled out a knife, setting off a confrontation that was captured on camera and has since gone viral.
But the bizarre encounter took another unexpected turn when the man arrested for wielding the knife came forward, insisting he was actually the victim trying to protect himself and his girlfriend.
The chaos erupted around 10:15 a.m. Tuesday, October 27, at a Wendy’s restaurant in Northridge, where witnesses say a man wearing a baseball cap had been arguing with employees before turning his attention to a couple quietly eating breakfast.
According to witness Jesus Lepit, the man had been causing a disturbance when he suddenly approached the couple’s booth and confronted the male customer.
That customer, later identified as 46-year-old Kyle Manfre, eventually stood up and pulled out a knife, transforming an already heated argument into a dangerous standoff.
Video footage shows the two men exchanging threats as the man in the baseball cap challenges Manfre about the weapon. At one point, he can be heard demanding, “You gonna stab me?”
The confrontation quickly escalated as chairs began flying across the restaurant, with employees repeatedly urging the men to stop. The commotion lasted approximately three minutes, leaving witnesses frightened as the dispute spilled outside.
Lepit later told KTLA that he feared for his safety and the safety of the employees and other customers as the situation unfolded.
Police arrived and arrested Manfre on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon. However, his account of what happened paints a dramatically different picture.
Speaking to the Los Angeles Times, Manfre claimed he and his girlfriend had just finished praying over their breakfast when the agitated customer approached their table and began confronting him.
Manfre alleged that the stranger moved within inches of his face and blocked his attempt to leave the booth. He also claimed he initially mistook a shiny object in the man’s hand for a possible weapon, although he later learned it was a set of keys.
“I thought he was going to kill us,” Manfre told the newspaper.
Manfre insisted he never used the roughly three-inch pocket knife to attack anyone and only displayed it because he believed he and his girlfriend were in danger.
“I was victimized, and I protected myself,” he told NBC Los Angeles, maintaining that he had acted in self-defense.
The confrontation reportedly left both men with minor injuries. Manfre claimed his hand was injured while attempting to shield himself from flying chairs, while NBC Los Angeles reported that the other man was treated for minor injuries, including a cut.
Despite Manfre’s insistence that he was defending himself, Los Angeles police booked him into Van Nuys Jail on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon. He was released after posting $30,000 bail.
Manfre, who says he has retained an attorney, is scheduled to appear at the San Fernando Courthouse on November 17.
Authorities have not publicly identified the other man or confirmed whether he will face any legal consequences for his alleged role in starting the confrontation.
For now, the viral footage has left viewers with a troubling question: Was the man holding the knife the aggressor, or was he desperately trying to defend himself during a breakfast outing that went horribly wrong?
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