Lucas Kalisher had his 15 minutes of fame in the summer of 2024. The then-55-year-old businessman apparently became enraged when a group of teens splashed liquid on his wife at an In-N-Out restaurant in Colorado. Video captured Kalisher grabbing a teenage boy and strangling him while yelling at him. The video went wildly viral, and Kalisher ultimately turned himself in to police. Following a February 23, 2026, court date, he now knows his fate, and if you ask us, it’s a pretty darn light sentence.
In 2024, the Loveland Police Department shared details about the alleged interaction in a news release posted to social media.
“The juvenile told officers he and two friends were inside the restaurant engaging in horseplay by splashing water on one another. During this interaction an adult female was accidently splashed with water,” the release explained. “The juvenile male approached her table to apologize when an adult male accompanying the woman suddenly grabbed him, placed both hands around the front and back of his neck, pulled him down to the table and threw him backward onto the floor. The adult male and female departed the restaurant prior to officers’ arrival.”
According to the Loveland Reporter-Herald, Kalisher pleaded guilty to attempted second-degree assault – strangulation. He will serve 30 months of probation, according to court documents obtained by the newspaper.
Kylie Massman, communications and community engagement specialist for the 8th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, shared in an email with the Reporter-Herald that Kalisher also must apologize to the teen, complete 120 hours of community service, and pay $207.86 in restitution. If he does not complete his sentence, he could spend one to three years in prison and face a $100,000 fine.
We must admit, this seems like a pretty light sentence. After reviewing the video, it sure seemed like kids being kids. Kalisher and his wife just happened to get caught in the crosshairs.
We’re not saying what the kids did is right, but adults should know better, right? Giving Kalisher no jail time and fining him a minuscule amount feels like a soft sentence for a man who attacked a kid.
