Police identify Checkers worker accused of assaulting customers with hot oil in Southwest Philadelphia

SOUTHWEST PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Police have identified the Checkers worker who was arrested over the weekend after allegedly throwing hot cooking oil at customers in Southwest Philadelphia.

Latifah Linder, 28, of the 5900 block of Trinity Street, is charged with aggravated assault and other offenses.

Investigators say three women suffered burns during the incident at 58th and Baltimore around 3 a.m. Saturday. One of those women had to be taken to the hospital for treatment. She has since been released.

Authorities tell Action News that three customers, two of them sisters, ordered food at the location. Before leaving, the group found a problem with the order and told Linder about it.

That's when an argument began.

A friend who doesn't want to be identified said Linder first told the women to come back when she got off work so they could fight.

A witness says three times the worker threw containers of oil, one right after another. The hot oil splashed on the car and went through the window, hitting one of the women on the thigh and forearm.

"We were arguing back and forth, but that doesn't give her the right to throw grease on us. She wasn't hit, she wasn't threatened. We didn't do anything to her," said the witness.

A statement released Saturday afternoon from a spokesperson for Checkers read, "The franchise is taking this incident very seriously, and the manager involved is no longer with the company. That behavior was completely unacceptable and does not represent the values of the hundreds of Checkers employees who serve our Philadelphia guests every day. The franchise is cooperating fully with the police in their investigation."

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