The 39-year-old boyfriend of a woman living in an apartment over a downtown store got into a physical confrontation with staff at the store on Christmas Eve, including punching and spitting on a manager, police said.
Darien police described the incident and investigation in this account (with accusations not proven in court):
Police were given a description of the confrontation by people from the store. The tenant and her boyfriend stopped by Fjord Fish Market in the back of 1015 Post Road, to ask if the workers could turn down the radio. The tenant and her boyfriend had previously complained about noise and the odor of the retail seafood store. The manager offered to keep the radio off, but the woman said turning it down would be enough.
Her boyfriend, a Stamford resident, appeared to be intoxicated and started yelling at the manager. He used profanities and said the store was “ruining our lives.” He kicked over a potted plant being used by a worker to prop open a door while the worker carried food.
The boyfriend then spit in the manager’s face and punched him on the left shoulder, then, when a worker had uprighted the potted plant, kicked it over again, causing dirt to get on the worker’s face. No one was physically injured in the incident.
The apartment tenant then pulled the boyfriend away and eventually got him upstairs.
Police were called.
Police tried to reach the upstairs tenant, but no one answered the door. Both the manager and a worker gave police sworn written statements. Photos were taken.
On Dec. 29, police were able to communicate with the tenant, who identified her boyfriend. Also on that day, police received a security video recording from the store. Although the boyfriend’s face wasn’t shown, unintelligible yelling could be heard and at one point an arm can be seen striking the manager on the shoulder. The video did not show a fight or tumult.
On Jan. 5, the boyfriend’s attorney told police that the boyfriend wanted to apologize and reimburse workers at the fish market. On Jan. 8, police applied for an arrest warrant charging the boyfriend with second-degree breach of peace. The warrant was approved and on Feb. 4, the boyfriend turned himself in.
He was released on a $250 cash bond and is scheduled to appear Feb. 18 in state Superior Court in Stamford.