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A Florida sheriff described a recent incident at a McDonald’s in Polk County as a “McMess” following an altercation that left one man with a minor gunshot wound to the neck. The incident involved a McDonald’s employee and two customers.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd shared details in a social media video, explaining that the McDonald’s experienced a surge in online orders early Sunday morning, triggered by several local events ending around the same time.
Sheriff Judd recounted that the employee, 21-year-old Yoan Soto, courteously informed Nicholas Jones, 18, and Peter Story, 20, who had arrived at the drive-thru, saying, “Hey, sorry guys, we’re way behind, our online orders are overwhelming us.”
Following Soto’s notification that orders couldn’t be taken, the two men allegedly began issuing threats against him.
Surveillance footage reportedly shows Yoan Soto drawing a gun on Nicholas Jones and Peter Story after they entered the restaurant and continued their threats. (Polk County Sheriff’s Office)
“’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.”