Florida McDonalds worker Yoan Soto shoots customer Peter Story in neck over wait time

A Florida sheriff called an altercation involving a worker and two customers at a McDonald’s in Polk County last weekend a “McMess” after it left one of the men with a minor gunshot wound to the neck. 

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd explained in a video posted to social media that a McDonald’s in the area had become inundated with online orders after several events in the area let out early Sunday morning. 

Judd said the worker, Yoan Soto, 21, “politely” told Nicholas Jones, 18, and Peter Story, 20, who had pulled into the drive-thru, “‘Hey, sorry guys, we’re way behind. Our online orders are overwhelming us.’”

He said after Soto told the two men that the store couldn’t take their order, they allegedly started threatening him. 

“’We’re going to hang out here,’” they allegedly said. “‘When you get off, we are going to beat you up.’ They threatened to attack the man who just told them, ‘We’re busy, we can’t take any more orders,’ and he did that because the manager told him to. They threatened him with violence.” 

Soto told the men he didn’t get off work until 4 a.m., and he went back to work. 

“What do these goober smoochers do?” Judd continued, adding that Jones and Story then parked and entered the restaurant. 

“And they continue to threaten,” he said. “They’re having a McArgument in the McDonald’s over McHamburgers or lack of McHamburgers.” 

He said either Story or Jones allegedly said they had a “switch,” a “30-clip,” and Soto replied that he also had a gun. 

He said the manager stepped in between the three men to stop the “McRabble.”

“So, they continue to threaten a mass shooting cause there’s customers there with their firearms,” Judd said, adding that Soto went to get his gun and threatened Jones and Story with it in the main part of the store. 

The manager of the McDonald’s told Story and Jones to leave because they were trespassing, but Jones claimed that only law enforcement can declare he’s trespassing, which Judd clarified isn’t the case. 

As the two men tried to grab Soto’s gun, he pulled the trigger and shot Story in the neck, Judd said. 

“It’s a blessing that it was a very minor wound, but you know what? When you start shooting McGuns, you’ll get people’s attention, and they’ll let you McHave the restaurant and that’s what they did,” Judd said.

Jones then drove Story to a hospital and called the police. 

Soto fled but was called back to the restaurant when deputies arrived, Judd explained, adding that Soto cooperated and has been charged with felony tampering with evidence. 

Story and Jones were charged with trespass after warning and disorderly conduct. 

“Listen folks, it’s never OK to threaten a mass shooting. It’s never OK to threaten to beat people up at a business. And it’s never OK to grab your ammunition and your firearm and run after a shooting,” Judd said. 

He added that Soto did have a right to stand his ground and protect himself, “and these guys are threatening to do violence after they’ve already threatened on the outside of the store and came inside.”

“They created a well-founded fear in him and the store manager,” he said. “It was just a McMess. But we’ll sort it out, because we’re McGood at investigating McCrime.”