Taco Bell Customer Opens Fire Over Incorrect Change, Employee Sustains 'Life-Threatening' Injuries The incident occurred at a location near Charlotte, North Carolina.
By Emily Rella
Key Takeaways
- The unnamed employee was taken to the hospital with "life-threatening" injuries.
- The suspect was tracked down after fleeing the scene and charged with assault with a deadly weapon.
A Taco Bell employee was nearly fatally shot over the weekend after a disgruntled customer pulled out a handgun after reportedly not receiving the correct amount of change.
On Saturday night, local authorities in Charlotte, North Carolina discovered an employee who had been shot twice and in need of assistance.
Witnesses claimed that a man, who has been identified as 67-year-old Doll McLendon, grew aggressive in the drive-thru line after receiving his order and counting his change.
The suspect then reportedly parked the car, went into the restaurant, and began shooting.
Related: Jack in the Box Employee Shoots at Customer Over Alleged Missing Curly Fries: Video
"Words were not being used and someone turned to a violent action with a gun," Major Torri Tellis of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said in a news conference. "At this point, we can't say what actually caused this."
Doll McLendon is currently being held at the Mecklenburg County Jail (via MCSO)
The unnamed employee was taken to the hospital with "life-threatening" injuries.
The suspect was tracked down after fleeing the scene due to license plate tracking and surveillance footage from the restaurant.
McLendon has been charged with assault with a deadly weapon with "intent to kill inflicting serious injury and discharging a weapon into occupied property" after surrendering to authorities on his property.
Sadly, this violent incident is not the first of its kind.
Related: Taco Bell Employee Charged With Fraud, Theft After Stealing Customer Credit Card Information
Last week, a family sued fast-food chain Jack-in-the-Box for negligence over a 2021 incident where an employee shot at a man in the drive-thru after the two got into a heated argument over an order of curly fries.
Taco Bell told USA Today in a statement that the company was "shocked" to hear of the incident and confirmed that the franchise owner of the location is "working with the local authorities in their investigation and will be offering support to all team members present."
