CHARLOTTE, NC – A dispute over change at a Taco Bell drive-thru in Charlotte, North Carolina, escalated into a shooting incident, according to local law enforcement. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department reported that they received calls about a shooting that took place at the fast-food restaurant on the city’s east side around 9:30 p.m. on Saturday.
Upon arrival, officers discovered an employee with multiple gunshot wounds. Eyewitness accounts indicated that a customer, dissatisfied with the amount of change he received after ordering food, left the drive-thru. He then entered the restaurant and became increasingly aggressive. The situation escalated when the customer produced a firearm and began shooting, hitting the employee multiple times.
The suspect fled the scene, leaving the injured employee who was rushed to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. Using video footage and witness testimonies, the police were able to identify a vehicle that matched the description given. Later that evening, officers located a vehicle fitting the description at a nearby apartment complex.
After confirming the vehicle was the one used in the shooting and that the registered owner matched the suspect’s description, surveillance was set up around the vehicle and property. Arrest warrants were subsequently obtained, and the suspect was apprehended without any further incidents.
The suspect was identified as 67-year-old Doll McLendon. He is being held at the Mecklenburg County Jail without bond on charges of attempted murder and discharging a weapon in an occupied property. The condition of the injured employee has not been updated by the police.
In response to the incident, Taco Bell Corp. expressed shock and confirmed that the franchise owner is cooperating with local authorities in their investigation and providing support to all team members present.