Man tosses snake behind Tim Hortons counter over diced onion dispute

A live snake was tossed over the counter at a Tim Hortons in Saskatoon this morning during an argument over onions.

Two 20-year-old men engaged in a heated debate this morning with a worker at the restaurant over sandwich toppings. They wanted diced onions, and the restaurant does not dice its onions. 

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As the argument escalated at the restaurant in the 600 block of 22nd Street West, one of the men reached into the pocket of his friend's coat, pulled out a live snake and threw it behind the counter. Staff members fled the store in fear. 

"Obviously, [the workers] were very frightened," said police spokeswoman Alyson Edwards. "There was quite a lot of screaming going on." 

Police were called at about 7:30 a.m. They located two suspects nearby and took them into custody. 

The men face charges of mischief and causing a disturbance.

Officers were able to catch the non-venomous garter snake and have found a temporary home for the animal. The snake will be released into the wild in the spring.

There were no reports of injuries. Later on Monday police released a picture of the snake, which they named Outlaw, and noted it had not been harmed in the incident.