A recent incident at a McDonald’s in Polk County, Florida, took a dramatic turn when a confrontation between a worker and two customers led to one man sustaining a minor gunshot wound to the neck. The local sheriff humorously dubbed the situation a “McMess.”
In a social media video, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd detailed how the McDonald’s branch became overwhelmed with online orders in the early hours of Sunday morning, following several local events. The influx of orders resulted in significant delays.
According to Sheriff Judd, a McDonald’s employee, 21-year-old Yoan Soto, courteously informed two arriving customers, Nicholas Jones, 18, and Peter Story, 20, that they were unable to take more orders due to the backlog. Soto reportedly said, “Hey, sorry guys, we’re way behind, our online orders are overwhelming us.”
However, rather than accepting the explanation, the two men allegedly responded with threats towards Soto after he relayed the message. The situation escalated when Jones and Story reportedly continued to threaten the employee after entering the restaurant.
Surveillance footage purportedly shows Soto brandishing a firearm at Jones and Story as they persisted with their aggressive behavior. The Polk County Sheriff’s Office highlighted that the threats included statements like, “We’re going to hang out here. When you get off, we are going to beat you up.” The threats were targeted at Soto, who was merely following instructions from his manager to manage the order influx.
“’We’re going to hang out here,’” they allegedly said. “‘When you get off, we are going to beat you up.’ They threatened to attack the man who just told them, ‘We’re busy, we can’t take any more orders,’ and he did that because the manager told him to. They threatened him with violence.”
Soto told the men that he didn’t get off work until 4 a.m., and he went back to work.
“What do these goober smoochers do?” Judd continued, adding that Jones and Story then parked and entered the restaurant.
“And they continue to threaten,” he said. “They’re having a McArgument in the McDonald’s over McHamburgers or lack of McHamburgers.”
He said either Story or Jones allegedly said they had a “switch,” a “30-clip” and Soto replied that he also had a gun.
He said that the manager stepped in between the three men to stop the “McRabble.”
“So, they continue to threaten a mass shooting, cause there’s customers there, with their firearms,” Judd said, adding that Soto went to get his gun and threatened Jones and Story with it in the main part of the store.
Soto allegedly pointing his gun and Story and Jones. (Polk County Sheriff’s Office)
The manager of the McDonald’s told Story and Jones to leave because they’re trespassing, but Jones claimed that only law enforcement can declare he’s trespassing, which Judd clarified isn’t the case.
As the two men tried to grab Soto’s gun, he pulled the trigger and shot Story in the neck, Judd said.
“It’s a blessing that it was a very minor wound, but you know what? When you start shooting McGuns, you’ll get people’s attention and they’ll let you McHave the restaurant and that’s what they did,” Judd said.
Sheriff Grady Judd holds up Yoan Soto, Nicholas Jones and Peter Story’s mug shots. (Polk County Sheriff’s Office)
Jones then drove Story to the hospital and called the police.
Soto fled the scene, but was called back to the restaurant when deputies arrived, he explained, adding that Soto cooperated and has been charged with felony tampering with evidence.
Story and Jones were charged with trespass after warning and disorderly conduct.
“Listen folks, it’s never OK to threaten a mass shooting. It’s never OK to threaten to beat people up at a business. And it’s never OK to grab your ammunition and your firearm and run after a shooting,” Judd said.
He added that Soto did have a right to stand his ground and protect himself, “and these guys are threatening to do violence after they’ve already threatened on the outside of the store and came inside.”
“They created a well-founded fear in him and the store manager,” he said. “It was just a McMess. But we’ll sort it out, because we’re McGood at investigating McCrime.”
