Stamford Chinese restaurant denies customer’s claims of mouse in fried rice

Wai Ming Au-Yeung, owner of China Xpress, looks at customers order in the kitchen of the restaurant in Stamford, Connecticut on August 3, 2018. Police and the city's health department are investigating claims of a fried mouse was found in an order of fried rice. less Wai Ming Au-Yeung, owner of China Xpress, looks at customers order in the kitchen of the restaurant in Stamford, Connecticut on August 3, 2018. Police and the city's health department are investigating claims ... more Photo: Matthew Brown / Hearst Connecticut Media Buy photo Photo: Matthew Brown / Hearst Connecticut Media Image 1 of / 15 Caption Close Stamford Chinese restaurant denies customer’s claims of mouse in fried rice 1 / 15 Back to Gallery

STAMFORD — Antwaun Boyd was expecting a carton of fried rice when he ordered delivery from China Xpress this week.

What the 25-year-old Stamford man got, he claimed, was a fried mouse.

A fight erupted Thursday when Boyd and his grandmother went to the Selleck Street restaurant to confront employees about the apparent surprise in the meal they ordered the previous night, police said.

According to what Boyd told police, the employee examined the rice and removed the mouse to show there was no rodent inside the carton. A fight then broke out between restaurant employees and Boyd who was joined by several friends, police said.

Wei Hou, 35, a cashier and manager at the restaurant, claims he suffered a broken nose and broken collarbone and needed stitches. Hou said he plans to contact an attorney about a possible lawsuit against Boyd.

”Not only are we being assaulted, but at the same time, we’re being slandered by something that’s not true,” said Hou, who opened China Xpress with his brother about eight years ago. “This is going to cause a lot of damage to our business. We’ve been serving the neighborhood over eight years. It’s devastating seeing my wife come to the hospital and seeing me beat up. I have two kids I need a job for. Now I have to be off for the next couple of months.”

Elizabeth Carlson, a special assistant to Mayor David Martin, said a city health department official inspected the restaurant Friday morning. Carlson said the restaurant passed the inspection and there was “no evidence of rodents.”

Ray Sun, a cashier who was working when the fight occurred, said Boyd came in with two bags of food. Sun claims one of them was not from China Xpress. Sun claims there was no mouse in either box, only two pieces of chicken.

Sun said he called police as Boyd argued with the cashier and was trying to lure the employee outside for a fight. Sun said Boyd went outside and called several friends who he claims started attacking the cashier.

Police said Boyd punched Hou in the face, prompting other kitchen employees to join the fight and hit the men with spoons.

Boyd fled the with his friends, leaving his grandmother at the restaurant where police said an employee struck her with a wooden spoon. Charges are pending against the employee who police said attacked Boyd’s grandmother.

Boyd’s grandmother and Hou were taken to Stamford Hospital.

”There was blood all over,” Hou said. “You don’t want stuff like that to happen. I want justice.”

The Selleck Street one-room restaurant, which has a ServSafe food handling certification hanging on the wall by the counter, is located in a small plaza with Selleck Laundromat and Riko’s Thin Crust Pizza.

Sun said he doesn’t believe the incident on Thursday will affect business.

“Truth is truth,” Sun said. “It’s common sense. Mice in a box ... unbelievable. Or I’d say, impossible.”

Boyd, who could not be reached for comment, turned himself in Thursday night and was charged with second-degree assault and disorderly conduct.

Boyd was charged last year with disorderly conduct in Nashua, N.H., for his role in a fight that broke out during a men’s basketball game that he was playing in for Daniel Webster College.

erin.kayata@ stamfordadvocate.com; 203-964-2265; @erin_kayata