A 52-year-old man has been arrested after he allegedly spat on a Tim Hortons employee while at a drive-thru in Hamilton.

Police say a customer pulled into a drive-thru on the East Mountain around 3:30 p.m. Friday.

After he placed his order through the intercom system, the man approached the window and got into an altercation with the worker over how he was going to pay.

Police say the customer became verbally aggressive, paid for his items and received the order. They say as he was leaving, he spat three times in the direction of the employee, striking her and the window.

Investigators were able to identify the vehicle and determined the registered owner was the person involved in the incident.

Darren Dickison, 52, was arrested on Sunday and charged with assault and mischief under $5,000.

He was later released and is scheduled to appear in court on May 25.

Hamilton police are reminding residents to “exercise patience and better judgement, especially during this challenging time.”