McDonald’s Employee Shoots Man in the Neck After Complaints About Wait Time in the Drive-Thru: ‘It Was Just a McMess’

Authorities are calling a shooting at a Florida McDonald’s involving an employee and customers a complete “McMess.”

A video release from Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd on Friday, Oct. 17 claimed that the altercation began when 21-year-old Yoan Soto was working an overnight shift at a Davenport McDonald’s when two late-night customers became upset about their wait time in the drive-thru line. 

The incident happened around 3 a.m. on Oct. 12.

Judd said the location can become “overwhelmed” with online orders at times, and the staff were “doing their best to keep up with these orders,” when Peter Story, 19, and Nicholas Jones, 18, reportedly arrived at the restaurant.

Soto apologized to the pair for being “way behind,” Judd said, even stating that McDonald’s “should think through” how their system works.

Despite his apology, the two allegedly began “threatening” Soto, telling the employee they would wait for his shift to end to physically harm him, according to the Polk County sheriff.

“They threatened to attack the man who just told them, ‘We’re busy, we can’t take anymore orders,’ and he did that because the manager told him to,” Judd said. 

The sheriff said Soto didn’t back down, instead telling Story and Jones that his shift ended at 4 a.m.

Video surveillance shared by PCSO and obtained by Fox 13 showed Jones and Story’s altercation with Soto in the McDonald’s lobby after the two entered the property, as well as Soto pointing a firearm at them after they “continued to threaten” him with what the sheriff describes as a “switch” and a “30-clip.”

“Now, the 22-year-old manager steps between them trying to stop this kerfuffle from occurring because there’s a rattle afoot right now in McDonald’s, we can call it a ‘McRattle,’ and that’s not a sandwich,” the sheriff said.

In the video, Judd claims that Soto was acting in self-defense. “And as they try to grab his gun, [Soto] pulls the trigger, and he shoots Peter Story in the neck,” Judd said, alongside video surveillance that allegedly showed the two men struggling over control of the firearm.

“It’s a blessing that it was a very minor wound, but you know what? When you start shooting McGuns, you get people’s McAttention,” Judd said. 

The sheriff said after Story and Jones allegedly fled the scene because of Story’s injury, Soto became “McScared,” picked up the shell casings and fled the scene as well. 

Soto was charged with tampering with evidence, which is a felony. Jones and Story were charged with trespass after warning and disorderly conduct. 

PEOPLE has reached out to McDonald’s and Polk County Sheriff’s Office for comment.

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Judd warned against mass shootings and violence, and also advised anyone in situations similar to Soto’s not to “run after a shooting.”

“He has 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,” Judd said in his statement. “They created a well-found fear in him and the store manager. It was just a McMess, but we’ll sort it out because we are McGood at investigating McCrime.”