An argument between several men at a McDonald’s in DeKalb County erupted into gunfire last week, resulting in a customer being shot and leading to a tense standoff with another armed bystander before police arrived.
The shooting took place inside the restaurant at 2636 Wesley Chapel Road, just south of I-20, according to an incident report obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Witnesses told police the situation started when a former employee went into the building and was followed by three other men.
An argument broke out between the former employee, whose name the current employees did not know, and the three men following him, who were all wearing black, the report said. It escalated until the former employee and one of the other men each pulled guns and started shooting, the report said.
A customer, a 48-year-old man, was caught in the crossfire and taken to Grady Memorial Hospital, the report said. Police did not provide any updates about his condition. The McDonald’s was also damaged as a few rounds shattered the building’s front window.
According to the report, the three men wearing black left the McDonald’s and were confronted by an armed bystander at the Texaco station next door. He was holding the three suspects at gunpoint when officers arrived.
The officers drew their own weapons and ordered the man to drop his gun, the report said. As the bystander obeyed the commands, the three suspects ran away.
Officers questioned the armed man, who told them he’d heard the shots fired and saw the suspects leaving the restaurant with their hands hidden in their shirts, the report said. He said he pulled his gun because he wasn’t sure what the suspects would do, and video evidence the officers viewed at the scene confirmed his story, the report said.
He was released with no charges.
No arrests have been made and police did not say if the suspects had been identified. No further information has been released, including the nature of the argument that led to the shootout.
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