The director of Wayne County, Michigan’s parks division, Alicia Bradford, was suspended without pay after the Oakland County Prosecutor’s office charged her and her husband, Larry Bradford, with assault with a dangerous weapon and felony firearm. The charges stem from a gas station brawl involving Bradford’s husband just after midnight on New Year’s Day over a can of Mountain Dew. 

Larry and Alicia Bradford kicked off 2025 with a visit to the BP gas station in Farmington Hills, Michigan, shortly after midnight on New Year’s Day, proving that Times Square wasn’t the only place the ball would drop that evening. Surveillance video shows Larry Bradford at the counter inside the station’s convenience store trying to buy a can of Mountain Dew but protesting over being charged tax on groceries when, in fact, it was the state-mandated 10-cent bottle deposit fee the clerk was charging. 

Overhearing Bradford’s argument with the clerk, the only other customer in the store, waiting in line behind him, decided to chime in, pointing out that the clerk was correct and that he had the “proof right there on the receipt.”

Bradford, however, having his feet firmly planted in the “no tax on groceries” argument, responds to the customer, “Quit saying that, man,” followed up with, “It ain’t none of your business.”

The customer, frustrated by Bradford’s lack of comprehension and likely wanting to pay for his items and move on with his evening, responded by telling him, “Well then, get the f**k out, man.”

The situation escalates as Bradford raises his voice, asking, “Who the f**k is you talking to?” prompting the customer to return an amplified “You!” With fists clenched at his side. 

“Larry then engages towards and pushes (the customer) in his throat with his left hand twice … A physical struggle ensued. They are both seen pushing and pulling each other into merchandise racks, knocking various products onto the floor as they struggle,” wrote a Farmington Hills police officer in his report.

In the surveillance video, Bradford is seen using the can of Mountain Dew to strike the customer as he thrashes him back and forth, knocking over displays and merchandise in the store while stripping the customer of his shirt by pulling it over his head.  

At this point, Larry heads to the door, saying, “Let me get my pistol,” and is shoved out by the customer, who turns back to the clerk, apologizing for the mess. That’s when Larry can be heard outside yelling three times, “Give me my pistol!” presumably speaking to his wife as the customer remained inside rummaging through the mess for his glasses, apologizing again to the clerk who was on the phone with authorities, and asking if he should wait there.

Several moments later, Larry returns to the convenience store, pointing a 9mm handgun at the customer while instructing him to get on his knees and apologize. The customer complies, getting down on his knees with his hands up. As he apologizes, Larry strikes him in the head while holding him at gunpoint. Understandably in fear, the customer remains apologetic while Larry tells him, “I should kill you. I should f*****g blow your f*****g brains out.”

Moments later, Alicia Bradford is seen entering the store and pointing her own 9mm handgun at the customer, demanding to know what happened. The customer responds by calmly telling her he is standing up as Alicia extends the pistol and tells him, “No, you gonna stay down there.”

In addition to the store clerk, Alicia Bradford called the Farmington Hills police. However, she found herself and her husband under arrest when authorities arrived on the scene. Apparently, initiating a physical confrontation followed by making the victim get on his knees and apologize at gunpoint is against the law. Who knew?

After the Oakland County prosecutor charged the couple with assault with a dangerous weapon and felony firearm, Wayne County Executive Warren Evans suspended Bradford from her $146,000 per year position without pay, prompting me to repeat that the incident unfolded over a 10-cent state-mandated bottle deposit fee. 

Chair of the Wayne County Commission, Alisha Bell, seemed surprised to learn about the charges, even though Bradford was suspended for 15 days in 2019 for granting more than $10,000 in county contracts to her stepdaughter.

“This is very uncharacteristic of the Alicia I know … She’s always been very professional and a hard worker in our parks department,” said Bell.

Uh-huh. Sure…

You can’t make this up, ladies and gentlemen. The video in its entirety is online, and I anxiously await seeing what, if any, defense for their actions the Bradfords try to present. The unchecked feeling of entitlement displayed by these two is sickening and will only worsen if they are not properly convicted and sentenced. Of course, if they aren’t, the people of Michigan will know a little more about corruption in their state, and Larry will never learn how to properly do the dew. Among all that’s offensive in this story, I’d like to add that the can of Mountain Dew was $1.99 before the 10-cent bottle deposit fee. $1.99!  That should be a crime as well.