USA TODAY Network
People who ask for a cup of water at a fast food restaurant and proceed to fill it with soda are guilty of one of the pettiest crimes you can commit. Many employees are willing to turn a blind eye to that practice, but that was not the case with one worker at a Taco Bell in Florida who landed in jail after pulling out a gun in response.
Last year, McDonald’s announced its plan to remove self-serve soda machines from all of its restaurants by 2032.
The company deployed some corporate speak by saying the change was designed to deliver a “consistent experience for both customers and crew across all ordering points,” but it also stemmed from factors like cleaning and the fact that the chain has experienced a decline in the number of people who actually eat their meals inside its stores.
Now, there’s no way to know how much money McDonald’s loses each year from customers who request a free cup they claim they’ll use for water only to help themselves to some soda in order to save a couple of bucks, but that pivot would also bring an end to that practice.
It would also prevent incidents where employees confront people who engage in that unethical (and technically illegal) behavior, including a wild one that recently unfolded at a Taco Bell in the Sunshine State.
A Taco Bell employee in Florida was arrested over a shooting stemming from an argument with a customer who used a water cup for soda
“Fast food employees don’t get paid enough to care” is a fairly tired stereotype, and I’d argue it minimizes the work ethic of the millions of people who are genuinely committed to doing their job well in spite of a minimum wage salary.
However, based on the many videos I’ve come across featuring fights between workers and angry customers, it’s easy to understand why some people behind the counter would prefer to avoid confronting patrons guilty of petty crimes that really only come at the expense of the higher-ups.
That includes the practice of using a so-called “water” cup for soda, which NBC Miami reports was the approach one customer at a Taco Bell in West Palm Beach decided to harness while grabbing lunch on Monday.
However, that did not sit well with one employee who called them out. That led to a heated argument with the customer in question and two other people, which was filmed by someone in the restaurant at the time.
The video captured the employee (identified as D’Mari Patterson) heading back toward the kitchen before emerging with a gun in his hand, and he used it to strike at one of the members of the trio while firing a shot in the process.
Rachel Leitao, the public information officer for the West Palm Beach Police Department, said a victim was treated for minor injuries at a nearby hospital after being “grazed” by a bullet. Patterson allegedly fired a second shot after one of the people he was arguing with ran out of the Taco Bell, but it missed and went through the window of a nearby restaurant.
He told police he pulled out the gun in self-defense due to his belief that one of the customers had one of their own, but he was the only person arrested in an incident that led to him being charged with three counts of aggravated assault with a firearm.