A Florida McDonald’s employee was recently taken into custody for allegedly shooting at patrons.
The Alleged Shooting Involving The Florida McDonald’s Employee
Chassidy Gardner, 22, was reportedly recently booked into Polk County Jail, according to Fox 35 Orlando. The accusation against her is severe assault with a deadly weapon. According to the outlet, Gardner got into a fight with drive-thru patrons on Friday, June 14, while she was working her shift at the fast food restaurant.
According to a Facebook post by the Lakeland Police Department, the “dispute began… when the customers/Victims felt their order was incorrect.”
Gardner then allegedly began to argue with the patrons. Gardner then allegedly threw a drink at the customers as they tried to exit the window.
“Two of the customers got out of their vehicle and opened the drive-through window to throw drinks at Gardner who then armed herself with a handgun,” the police department’s Facebook post adds.
Gardner reportedly left the store at that point, and the customers drove to another location in the parking lot. The customer’s car was allegedly “struck at least once” when the McDonald’s employee, who was purportedly armed, shot the driver.
“The customers drove around the west side of the business and Gardner walked outside the business with her gun to argue further. While still outside, Gardner fired her weapon as the vehicle was leaving the parking lot and the Victim’s vehicle was struck at least once. Gardner was arrested for Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon,” the post concludes.
It was unclear who was hurt in the shooting, per an NBC 6 South Florida report from June 18.
McDonald’s Franchisee Shares Thoughts On The Incident
On Saturday, June 15, Gardner was freed from Polk County Jail on a $15,000 bond, according to Law & Crime. The outlet went on to say that it was still unclear if she had hired legal counsel.
Lanny Sumpter, the franchisee of the fast food restaurant, has issued a statement regarding the situation.
“The safety and wellbeing of my customers and crew is paramount to me as a business owner, and I am shocked and disturbed by the actions of this employee,” Sumpter shared. “Violence of any kind is never tolerated in my organization, and the employee has been terminated following a number of organizational policy violations. We will continue to work with law enforcement in their ongoing investigation.”
Fast Food Employees Opened Up About Being Singled Out
About six months after sources exclusively discussed the risks associated with working in the fast-food industry with a variety of employees, the terrifying Florida incident took place. The employees, in contrast to Gardner, mainly described how they have been the subject of harmful attacks.
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