A Michigan McDonald’s employee was filmed choking a customer before forcing him out of the restaurant after the customer threatened to attack employees and the store’s manager.
The video was shared by the customer himself. It showed him standing behind the counter while filming both the employee and the manager. The manager appeared to be on the phone, informing the person on the other end about the situation. It is unclear whether he was speaking with law enforcement or someone else.
As the customer continued filming, he repeatedly demanded that the manager and employee give him his food. When they did not respond, he directed a racial slur at them several times. He then threatened to jump over the counter before making additional threats of violence. “I will beat your [expletive],” the customer said. He also told the manager, “Shut the [expletive] up.”
The manager could be heard describing the customer’s behavior during the phone call. Moments later, the customer appeared to climb onto the counter, as he had previously threatened to do. After doing so, he continued directing profanity at both the employee and the manager while repeatedly threatening to beat them.
The customer then walked toward the kitchen door and began opening it. As soon as the door opened, the employee rushed toward him and tackled him to the floor. “Get the [expletive] out of our store,” the employee said. The employee then appeared to place the customer in a chokehold while escorting him out of the restaurant.
The employee appeared to maintain the chokehold until he had escorted the customer away from the restaurant. The customer then said, “I didn’t even do [expletive].” At the end of the video, the employee told him not to come back. In the caption accompanying the video, the customer also claimed that the employee had choked him, writing, “he don’t get paid enough to chock [sic] me.” As of now, it is unclear whether law enforcement ultimately became involved in the incident.
Viewers Criticize Michigan Customer Over Threats
The video sparked reactions online. Many viewers sided with the Michigan McDonald’s employee and criticized the customer over his behavior. “Entitled thug,” one person wrote, describing the customer. Another commenter praised the employee, saying, “Threats and trying to enter an employee area. Employee of the Month if you ask me.”
More viewers argued that the employee handled the situation appropriately. “Good employee right there… @McDonald’s needs to give that man a raise!” one person wrote. Another commenter criticized the customer, saying, “This animal can barely put a sentence together. Normal people in society should not have to put up with this. Obviously he has no family structure or common sense. The employee deserves a raise and to be employee of the year.”
The video sparked a conversation about the harassment that restaurant employees can face when dealing with aggressive customers. It also led to debate over when employees are justified in using physical force to defend themselves or protect others after a customer allegedly makes threats or attempts to enter restricted employee areas.
