They’re go-to spots for quick meals. Fast-food restaurants are a part of the landscape in metro Atlanta.
But sometimes, the burger and chicken joints become deadly crime scenes. And many times a wrong order or the service is the culprit, according to investigators.
Nov. 23: A metro Atlanta couple was arrested after authorities accused them of attacking a McDonald’s employee during a fight over a packet of Splenda, according to the Henry County Sheriff’s Office.
Marshall Wallace and Crystal Wallace are facing multiple charges in the Nov. 23 encounter at a restaurant in Locust Grove. They were identified from a cellphone video captured by an onlooker and posted to a popular content aggregation account on Twitter.
The fight started outside the Bill Gardner Parkway McDonald’s when the Wallaces were told they would have to come inside to get the sugar substitute, according to investigators. The video shows the pair sitting in a white car and arguing with an employee standing at the drive-thru window.
The fight escalated when Crystal Wallace threw a drink at the employee, the sheriff’s office said. In the video, it appears the employee retaliated with her own thrown drink.
March 21: At a DeKalb County burger restaurant, two people were shot during an argument, according to police.
The incident happened at the Cook Out on Panola Road. Two men — a 17-year-old and a 21-year-old — got into an argument with a third man, who then shot each of them in the leg, police said. Their injuries were not life-threatening.
March 14: In Newnan, a woman said she was forced to fire warning shots after another customer began choking her as she waited for her food in a McDonald’s drive-thru.
The attack appeared to be unprovoked and police have accused the irate customer, identified as Brandon Lee Causey of Newnan, of aggravated assault. The woman told police she was sitting in the drive-thru when Causey walked between the building and her door, Newnan city spokeswoman Ashley Copeland said.
That’s when Causey began arguing with the woman and began trying to choke her, according to police. The woman told police she tried hitting Causey in the mouth, but he would not release his grip, the spokeswoman said. According to police, he only relented after she grabbed a gun and fired two shots into the air.
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
March 8: Multiple people who witnessed a robbery in progress at the Colony Square Chick-fil-A restaurant confronted the armed suspect until police arrived. One of those people was armed, and at some point during the confrontation, he fired several shots, Atlanta police said.
The bystanders were able to disarm the suspect, 23-year-old Willie Gloston, before officers arrived. He was charged with armed robbery, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.
No injuries were reported.
Jan. 25: A woman planned to eat inside a Buckhead Chick-fil-A, but she was told the dining room was closed because of coronavirus precautions, according to police. Employees assumed the woman left the Roswell Road eatery, but instead she pulled up to the drive-thru with two other women.
After screaming at workers through the drive-thru, one of the women began throwing bricks at the window, according to police. No one was injured, and all three women were gone when investigators arrived.
Credit: JOHN SPINK / AJC
Credit: JOHN SPINK / AJC
March 3, 2020: Gunfire erupted at a DeKalb County fast-food restaurant overnight when a customer complained about his chicken wing order.
It all started when two men ordered at the walk-up window just before midnight at the Checkers on Candler Road in the Panthersville neighborhood, received their food and claimed their order was incorrect, the manager said. The men reportedly started shouting.
While the employees worked to make the correct chicken wings, they closed the window on the fuming men. According to the manager, one man threw his food at an employee, and the employee responded by pulling out a gun and shooting him.
The employee was fired and arrested.
About the Author
