Brawl breaks out at Benihana; Ex-employee claims he was hit with racial slurs, pepper spray

Ex-Benihana staff says he was with with racial slurs

An ex-employee at Benihana shares his side of the story in the restaurant that ended with flying plates and pepper spray going off.

LOS ANGELES - A brawl broke out at a Benihana in Los Angeles County. A now-former employee who was caught at the scene of flying plates and pepper spray claims he was also hit with racial slurs from the people involved.

What we know:

The fight broke out at the Torrance Benihana location along Hawthorne Boulevard on Monday, September 15 around 8 p.m.

At the restaurant chain known for having shrimp fly off the griddle, fists and plates were instead flying at the Benihana. According to witnesses at the scene, the fight broke out between the restaurant worker and a security guard.

Brawl breaks out at a Benihana in LA County

At a restaurant chain known for shrimp flying off the griddle, fists were flying at a Benihana in Torrance.

What they're saying:

The employee who have since been fired from his job, Eli Dawkins, came forward on Thursday to share his side of the story. Dawkins, who is Black, claimed racial slurs were directed at him and other African-American diners at the restaurant.

"I was attacked," Dawkins said on Thursday. "There were two people putting their hands on me. I reported the slurs."

He accused the restaurant's human resources and management of not taking a stand when he reported the alleged racially-charged incident.

"HR has done nothing to help me," Dawkins added. "Managers have done nothing to help me."

Yolanda Davidson, a customer who was at the incident, shared her support for Dawkins' claims Thursday.

"This young man has been painted out to be crazy, having a mental breakdown, and that's not what happened. That's not I saw," she said.

Davidson reveals she had to go to the emergency room after the incident because someone used pepper spray during the restaurant brawl.

The other side:

FOX 11 made multiple efforts to contact Benihana and the Torrance location's management, but neither could be reached for comment on Tuesday and Thursday.

What we don't know:

No arrests have been announced in the incident, but the Torrance Police Department acknowledge it is looking into the incident.