Comerica Park worker charged after coworker records pizza spitting

DETROIT (WJBK) - It is vile and outrageous - a worker at a Little Caesars stand in Comerica Park was caught on video spitting on the food.

Now that the video has gone viral and the person who filmed the revolting act has been fired, the employee who did the spitting is being held in the Detroit Detention Center. He has been charged with Health and Safety Tampering with Food. He may be arraigned Tuesday.

Quinell May, the person who filmed the video, claims he was wrongfully terminated for exposing a worker during the Tigers game Friday. He says the other employee didn't care he was being recorded and when he tried to speak up, he claims he was ignored.

"I was disgusted, I was mad, I was flabbergasted actually, because who wants to see something like that, spitting in a customer's pizza?" he said. "I tried to contact management, they didn't want to listen. They told me to shut up."

"At that moment you went to tell your manager someone's spitting in the pizza, they told you to be quiet about it?" FOX 2 asked.

"At first I said I had to use the bathroom but I was actually looking for someone higher in management to tell about what was happening to the pizzas and show the video, and when I came back they said, 'You took too long at the bathroom. Sign out and go home.'"

So the 17-year-old high school student did -- and put the video on Instagram. And he says this guy told him he'd done it before.

"Like, you telling me nobody else saw it? Or nobody else had the guts to speak up about it?" he wants to know. 

The burning question -- why do this?

"He said it was because of his supervisor and he was all in all having a bad day. Those were his words," May said.

May's grandma was sick about "pizza gate" but equally disgusted her grandson got sent home.

"He was doing the right thing so if anyone disagrees with it, their fault. You want our food all spit in, then keep going to places and not giving support when it's due," said Kimberly Lanier.

At first, May temporarily took the video off Instagram because he says he got a text from a manager telling him to take it down. They told him if he didn't take the video down that he'd be prosecuted.

"Yep. I was like, prosecuted. What do you mean prosecuted? They should ready to prosecute him for spitting in pizzas, not me for showing the fans what goes on behind closed doors."

The food at Comerica Park is provided by Detroit Sports Service. 

Detroit Sports Service denies all of this, saying many of May's claims are just not true. They say he was sent home on a uniform violation and that it had nothing to do with what he recorded. They also say May did not try to speak up forcefully, saying they had no idea he recorded this video at the time he did go home. 

When they found out about it, Detroit Sports Service said it closed down the stand and threw away all of the food.

Detroit Sports Service released a pair of statements: 

"As soon as we became aware through social media of potential food tampering, we immediately closed that food stand, disposed of all the product and contacted the Detroit Police Department.  We have been told by police that the worker has been arrested and is in custody, pending charges.  Food safety is our top priority and we will take any appropriate action necessary to protect our guests.  The worker involved in this matter has been terminated. We intend to pursue all legal action to the fullest extent of the law."

"The employee who filmed and posted the video has not been fired and we have communicated that clearly to his attorney.  He was actually sent home from the game Friday evening on an unrelated uniform violation.  That was prior to us learning about the food tampering via the video being posted on social media.  When he was told to go home, he said absolutely nothing about food tampering or having any evidence of it on video. Our only subsequent communication with that employee was to let him know that he would not be working Saturday or Sunday. No one acting in an official work capacity asked him to remove the video."