Subway's Mistake Warrants 911 Call in Jacksonville, Florida

I would never survive as a 911 operator. With all the stress of taking life-or-death calls and having to make instantaneous decisions under pressure, I'd crack like an egg. Which is why on occasion I'd need somebody like Reginald Peterson calling me to help lighten things up a little.

You don't know who Reginald Peterson is? He's the 42-year-old man in Jacksonville, Florida, who called 911 after the local Subway sandwich shop held his meal "hostage." Nope, that's not a typo. It all started when Peterson ordered two spicy Italian sandwiches, paid for the meal, and drove home. After arriving home, he unwrapped the sandwiches and discovered that the spicy sauce which is supposed to be on a Spicy Italian sandwich was missing from one of the pair. So he drove back and confronted store personnel, refusing to accept the addition of spicy sauce to the sandwich which didn't have it. When the worker behind the counter couldn't rectify the problem (Peterson wanted the sandwiches re-made to his specifications, not the store's), Peterson grabbed his cell phone and called 911. He told the operator that the store manager had locked him out of the store and was holding his two sandwiches inside the store. The operator waited until after Peterson was done yelling, then took the information and said police would be dispatched to the location.

Evidently Peterson was really hungry, because he called 911 two more times, complaining about the length of time it was taking the police to arrive. (Click here to listen to all three calls.) When they finally showed up, he told his story again, explaining that "the police could have his sandwich made to his specifications," according to the report filed by the Jacksonville Sheriff's office. The store manager explained that Peterson was getting more and more irritated, shouting at the employees, and refusing to calm down. When he stepped outside to call police, the store manager locked the doors as a means to protect his customers and employees until police arrived.

The police tried to instruct Peterson that reporting improperly-made food items was not an appropriate call to make to 911. When Peterson refused to listen and became even more belligerent, he was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of placing false 911 calls. As for his two sandwiches, they ended up in a trash can at Peterson's request.

Is there a moral to the story? I think so: Never call 911 to report sub-standard food. (I'd never survive as a stand-up comic, either.)