Man breaks store’s door after not getting what he wants

A man became angry when he couldn’t get some leftover Papa John’s pizza and ended up shattering the store’s door.

On Aug. 26, around 4:30 pm, Gallup Police Officer Darius Johnson was dispatched to the Papa John’s Pizza at 2102 E. Hwy. 66 when the store’s manager called into police about some property damage.

When he arrived at the scene Johnson met with the store manager, who said a man who was later identified as Christopher Laughing came in wearing a red shirt and khaki shorts. The manager said Laughing, 40, began bothering her employees.

The manager said Laughing asked for leftover food, and when he was told there wasn’t any, he became angry and began cussing at her and her employees. The manager said she asked Laughing to leave multiple times, but he just continued to cuss at her. Finally, when she called the police, he left the store.

But as he was leaving, he pushed the glass door so hard that it bounced back and hit him. That only infuriated Laughing more, and he punched the door, causing it to shatter. According to Johnson’s report, the manager noticed that Laughing’s leg was bleeding, and when she asked if he needed medical attention, he just continued to cuss at her.

The manager told Johnson that Laughing had left heading east, and he soon found him on South Boardman Drive two stores down from the Papa John’s. According to his report, Johnson noticed Laughing had a large cut across his right knee, and he called an ambulance for him.

When Johnson asked him what happened to his leg, Laughing told him that he fell.

Laughing was transported to a hospital to get his leg checked out, and then Johnson went back to Papa John’s to assess the business’s damage. The store’s manager said it would cost about $4,000 to replace the glass door.

Laughing was charged with criminal damage to property (over $1,000). His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Sept. 7.

Staff Reports