Man beats clerk with frozen fish after seafood counter closes early, Michigan cops say

Upset that a Michigan grocery store’s seafood counter closed early for Ramadan, a man used a frozen fish to assault a worker, authorities said.

Officers with the Warren Police Department were called to Desi Fruit Market on Sunday, April 2, where they learned the man got to the store’s fish counter shortly before 7:15 p.m.

“The fish counter clerk explained that the fish counter closed at 7:00 pm due to the Ramadan holiday,” according to an April 5 news release from the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office. “The suspect became angry and argued with the clerk.”

The man then used a frozen hilsa fish — that weighed four pounds — to beat the clerk on the head, authorities said.

The employee was taken to a hospital for treatment, and the man was arrested, according to Prosecutor Peter J. Lucido.

Authorities said the suspect was charged with one count of aggravated assault, a misdemeanor.

“I never thought I’d have to say this, but if you assault someone with a fish in our county you will be prosecuted,” Lucido said in the release. “A frozen fish is dangerous if you use it to hit someone on the head.”

The suspect was arraigned on April 3 in Warren District Court, where he was given a $5,000 personal bond.

Desi Market is in Warren, about 20 miles north of downtown Detroit.