A McDonald’s Dispute Gone Wrong: Florida Sheriff Calls Drive-Thru Confrontation a “McMess”
In a colorful recounting of events, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd described a troubling incident at a local McDonald’s that escalated from a busy drive-thru line to a shooting. What began as a simple notification about order delays quickly spiraled into threats, confrontation, and ultimately violence, leaving one customer with a minor gunshot wound to the neck. Sheriff Judd, known for his distinctive communication style, labeled the entire situation a “McMess” while explaining the sequence of events that unfolded early Sunday morning.
The trouble began when McDonald’s worker Yoan Soto, 21, informed drive-thru customers Nicholas Jones, 18, and Peter Story, 20, that the restaurant was overwhelmed with online orders following several area events that had recently concluded. According to Sheriff Judd, Soto politely explained that they were too backed up to take additional orders at that time – a directive given to him by the restaurant’s manager. Rather than accepting this explanation, Jones and Story allegedly responded with threats, warning Soto they would “hang out” until his shift ended at 4 a.m. and then “beat him up.” The sheriff emphasized the unreasonable nature of these threats, noting that Soto was simply doing his job under management’s instructions when he explained the ordering situation.
Instead of leaving the premises, Jones and Story allegedly parked their vehicle and entered the restaurant, continuing their threatening behavior inside. Sheriff Judd colorfully described this as “having a McArgument in the McDonald’s over McHamburgers or lack of McHamburgers.” The situation escalated when one of the men claimed to have a “switch” (a modified firearm) and a “30-clip,” to which Soto responded that he also had a gun. Despite the restaurant manager’s attempts to intervene and separate the men – what Judd termed stopping the “McRabble” – the confrontation continued to intensify. According to the sheriff, the customers threatened a “mass shooting” in the restaurant, which had other patrons present at the time.
The situation reached its breaking point when Soto retrieved his own firearm and threatened Jones and Story with it inside the main area of the restaurant. The manager had explicitly told the two customers to leave because they were trespassing – though Jones incorrectly claimed that only law enforcement could declare trespassing. As the confrontation reached its peak, Jones and Story allegedly attempted to grab Soto’s gun, at which point Soto pulled the trigger, striking Story in the neck. Sheriff Judd remarked that it was “a blessing” the wound was minor, adding with his characteristic wordplay that “when you start shooting McGuns, you’ll get people’s attention and they’ll let you McHave the restaurant” – which is precisely what happened as the situation finally de-escalated.
Following the shooting, Jones drove Story to the hospital and contacted police, while Soto fled the scene but later returned when deputies arrived at the restaurant. According to Sheriff Judd, Soto cooperated with authorities but has been charged with felony tampering with evidence. Meanwhile, Story and Jones were charged with trespassing after warning and disorderly conduct. The sheriff was clear in his assessment of the situation: “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.” He did acknowledge that Soto had a right to stand his ground and protect himself given the threats and the “well-founded fear” created in both him and the store manager.
Sheriff Judd concluded his account of the incident with his signature humor, calling it “just a McMess” while assuring the public that his department would “sort it out, because we’re McGood at investigating McCrime.” The case highlights how quickly everyday situations can escalate when threats and firearms become involved, turning what should have been a simple notification about order delays into a dangerous confrontation with potentially lethal consequences. While the sheriff’s colorful language brought attention to the incident, the underlying message was serious: threats of violence have no place in ordinary business interactions, and introducing firearms into such disputes dramatically increases the risk to everyone involved.
