Florida sheriff calls McDonald’s shooting 'McMess' after employee defends self against threats - VIDEO
What started as an impatient drive-thru order at 3 a.m. turned into what Polk County (Florida) Sheriff Grady Judd called “a McMess” after a McDonald’s employee allegedly defended himself with gunfire when two customers threatened to attack him.
According to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, 21-year-old McDonald’s employee Yoan Soto told two customers — Peter Story, 19, and Nicholas Jones, 18 — that he couldn’t take their order because the store was “way behind” on online orders. Soto apologized, explaining it wasn’t his decision but management’s.
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Instead of understanding, Sheriff Judd said, the pair became angry.
“They threatened to attack the man who just told them, ‘We’re busy; we can’t take anymore orders,’” Judd said in his video briefing. The sheriff added that Soto had every right to be concerned for his safety.
When the two young men parked, entered the restaurant, and continued to threaten violence — one allegedly mentioned a “switch” and a “30-clip” — Soto retrieved a firearm from his backpack. Surveillance video shows him pointing the gun as the men approached the counter.
The moment it escalated
The confrontation became physical, and according to investigators, one of the suspects tried to grab Soto’s firearm. Sheriff Judd said that’s when the shot was fired, grazing Story in the neck.
“It’s a blessing that it was a very minor wound,” Judd said. “But you know what? When you start shooting McGuns, you get people’s McAttention.”
After the incident, all three men fled the scene. Soto picked up his shell casings before leaving, which led to a tampering-with-evidence charge. Both Story and Jones were later arrested for trespass after warning and disorderly conduct.
Sheriff defends right to self-defense
Sheriff Judd noted that Soto was within his right to defend himself under Florida’s Stand Your Ground law:
“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. “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.”
Judd criticized Soto’s decision to leave the scene, saying he should have waited for deputies, but he reaffirmed that the self-defense claim was legitimate given the threats and aggression from the customers.
A lesson in self-defense and restraint
While the sheriff’s office continues to investigate, this case highlights the difficult situations many lawful gun owners face when defending themselves at work. The outcome could have been far worse had Soto not been armed when the threats turned physical.
In the end, nobody died, and the sheriff summed it up best: “It was just a McMess.”
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