A McDonald's worker is reportedly in critical condition after he was repeatedly stabbed in the face by an irate customer while the fast-food personnel was defending his coworkers in East Harlem on Wednesday, March. 9.
On early Wednesday, March. 9, at around 12:40 a.m., the suspect, who reportedly had trouble ordering food from a kiosk inside the McDonald's joint on Third Avenue near East 117th Street, angrily went to the counter to speak with a female manager and started to argue with her and other staff. The kerfuffle quickly escalated as the unidentified customer hurled abuses and threats at the personnel.
After witnessing the heated confrontation, the 31-year-old victim, who works in the kitchen, came out with a broom handle in hand to defend the staff. However, the suspect then allegedly pulled out a blade and stabbed the victim multiple times, including three times in the back, once in the arm, and twice in his left temple with a box cutter, New York Post reported.
The victim, who lives in the Bronx, was immediately rushed to Harlem Hospital for critical care. He is said to now be in stable condition.
The bearded suspect, who is described as a male, between 5'11" or 6'0" tall, reportedly ran away on foot after the melee, westbound on East 117th Street. He was last seen wearing a black and green jacket and a ski mask.
The McDonald’s where the attack happened is just a block away from the Burger King where 19-year-old worker Krystal Bayron-Nieves was gunned down by an alleged robber on Jan. 9 earlier this year, NBC New York reported.
"It's a real danger here about staying open late at night and that's a big problem and those businesses will have to square that with their employees," said former NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce. "Five people were working there when this happened."
Following the gruesome attack, McDonald's operator Bruce Colley released a statement.
"We are shocked and dismayed by this senseless and unprovoked attack on one of our employees. The safety of our employees and customers is our top priority. We will continue cooperating with the NYPD and supporting our colleague and friend as they recover," he said.
Meanwhile, local residents said that there needs to be more done to protect the employees.
"They need to put more protection for all these workers because they're risking their lives," Elizabeth Rodriguez, a local resident, said. "Make you money, make you rich, so the least you can do is make them safe."
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