MARION COUNTY, Fla. – A Leesburg High School employee was arrested on Tuesday after deputies said he attacked people at Eaton’s Bar and Grill in Marion County.
Deputies said they were called to the restaurant around 2:05 p.m. after several 911 calls were made about a man going out of control and attacking people.
Upon arrival, deputies found Daniel McCaw, 45, who was being restrained by several staff members and held to the ground until law enforcement arrived, deputies added.
According to investigators, McCaw had been sitting at a table with three others, becoming “angry and verbally abusive.” He eventually began using “foul language,” prompting a woman at the table next to his to contact the manager, investigators said.
In an affidavit, deputies said the manager asked McCaw and his party to leave, and as they gathered their belongings, McCaw snatched up a child from the arms of someone nearby.
McCaw then began attacking someone — grabbing him by the neck, pushing him and punching him — all while holding the child, the affidavit shows.
At this point, several of the restaurant’s staff began trying to stop the fight, with one employee taking the child from McCaw’s arms, deputies said. The affidavit shows that McCaw threw a metal chair during the attack, causing it to break.
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Afterward, there was a “brief calm period” during which McCaw began to leave, though he turned around and punched an employee in the side of the head unprovoked, investigators said.
As a result, the employee fell down a set of stairs, and McCaw chased after him to continue beating him around the head, deputies said.
Employees were eventually able to restrain McCaw until deputies arrived, according to the affidavit.
Investigators said that McCaw had been served at least three drinks, though McCaw was reportedly taking Klonopin, which causes increased intoxication when paired with alcohol.
Deputies also said that McCaw told them that his actions were in self defense. The affidavit reveals that McCaw was an employee at Leesburg High School.
McCaw faces charges of domestic battery, property damage, disorderly intoxication, criminal mischief and two counts of child abuse. He is being held on bond of $14,000.
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