McDonald's employee fired after taping video of fight

[cali]

Franchise owner calls beating 'reprehensible,' might take action against other workers


By Jill Rosen and Justin Fenton, The Baltimore Sun


A Baltimore County McDonald's owner announced on Saturday afternoon that an employee who taped the violent beating of a customer — a video that went viral Friday — had been fired.

"My first and foremost concern is with the victim," franchise owner Mitchell McPherson said in a statement, adding that action might be taken against other restaurant workers as well. "I'm as shocked and disturbed by this assault as anyone would be. The behavior displayed in the video is unfathomable and reprehensible."

The video of a beating the Rosedale restaurant went viral Friday, garnering hundreds of thousands of views on websites and prompting the fast-food giant to issue a statement condemning the incident.


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http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bs-md-mcdonalds-video-20110423,0,1302714.story

[Moondog]

1. Too late bozo. Repsondeat Superior says you're going to

pay, and pay big, for this one. And firing the asshole isn't going to get you off the hook.

[MrMickeysMom]

2. This should add another reason to skip Mickey D's

Besides the shitty, fatty, sugary trash they call food, they have shitty people working and buying it.

[Name removed]

3. Deleted message

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[emilyg]

5. I see mothers with young children. Probably tired from working all day.

I wouldn't call them shitty people. Lots of seniors eat there, too.

[MrMickeysMom]

7. Well, I wouldn't purposely call seniors "shitty"...

... but I sure would avoid their shitty food if I had another choice.

[harmonicon]

14. All sorts of poor people eat there.

I had a lot of McDonald's lunches when I was unemployed in LA a few years ago - a filling meal for two or three bucks.

[blondeatlast]

34. Indeed--and McD's responded appropriately after the incident.. This is a franchise

issue anyway.

[RebelOne]

15. Never eat Mickey D's junk food.

I am a vegetarian. But in the past during my meat-eating days, I never ate that crap.

[varkam]

25. I used to work fast-food.

:shrug:

[Obamanaut]

26. My, how progressively liberally non judgmental regarding people who

work/buy a product.

[MrMickeysMom]

27. Really?

I thought it was an insightful observation regarding how easy it is to market bad eating habits to people who are least served by them!

[Obamanaut]

33. Defend any way that makes it easier to accept 'judgmental', because after all,

as the Swayze character in the movie '"Road House'" said - "Opinions vary."

[Le Taz Hot]

51. -1

Dayem! Broad brush much?

[tkmorris]

4. I don't understand this reaction

What do you feel the owner of the franchise did wrong exactly?

[Raine]

10. I don't understand that either

the owner probably wasn't there and didn't even hear about it till afterward. Seems like you're damn if you do and damned if you don't. Do the the right thing but it's still not enough. :-(

[blondeatlast]

35. It's SOP in GD; I've never gotten the mentality but it's

all over this borad. :shrug:

[Warpy]

6. He did the woman a favor. That tape will be used as evidence

against the 3 little shitbags who beat the crap out of her.

Two people tried to help, a man who intervened (and who likely called the cops) and an old lady who just waded right in. Only the news that the cops were on the way caused the little gangettes to flee.

The tape was disturbing, to say the least. I hope those three are off the street soon and that the tape puts them away for a very, very long time.

[razorman]

19. I think the thugettes will definitely be put away for a while. After all,

the fact that they left the restaurant, then returned to continue the beating proves that there was premeditation. No way can they claim self-defense or some other justification.

[Warpy]

24. They're being tracked down

The youngest one was FOURTEEN. I don't think their target will balk at pressing charges, she seems pretty traumatized.

This was also a hate crime. The victim is a transgendered woman.

[razorman]

31. I think the victim's race or sexual status is irrelevant. Regardless of what started

the fight, the fact is that once she was down, there was no need for it to continue. She was outnumbered, and her attackers kept returning to beat her some more. Whatever their age, they deserve jail. On another note, I think it likely that the victim will wind up owning that restaurant.

[blondeatlast]

36. She's been officially charged; I'm not up to date on the other. nt

[walerosco]

22. yes he did the girl a favor alright

I am sure the seizure she suffered will make up for the conviction of the 2 ladies especially since the 3 employees could have easily stopped the assault. If I had been there during the fight, the news would read "The beat down of two women at a Baltimore McDonalds"

[Warpy]

23. Had they waded in to stop it (and one guy did, was he an employee?)

they'd have been fired, too. McDonald's has a strict policy of not getting involved in this stuff, just hand the money over and call the cops--or just call the cops. Employees who have done some pretty heroic things have been fired for them.

The only thing he should have done is call the cops first, then tape it, and hand a copy to the cops as well as posting it on You Tube.

Still that tape can be instrumental in getting those little shitbags put away. I want them off the street and if that tape will do it, good for him.

[blondeatlast]

37. Probably not--he has to be acting within the "scope of his duties."

If cell phone use is forbidden for on-duty employees, and I'm quite certain it would be, McDonald's will be sued, of course, but will likey be found not liable for that reason alone.

[Moondog]

46. Given that he was on-site "management"

that is going to be quite broad - this guy wasn't a hamburger flipper.

Just the attorney's fees to defend this are going to be huge. If the owner and his liability insurer are smart they will settle quick and settle big.

[blondeatlast]

48. It will no doubt be used--whether it sticks is up to the judge and jury. nt

[bluestate10]

43. The owner had to conduct a proper investigation before the firing.

Whether you realize it or not, an owner can't just up and fire a person these days without due process in some states. The firing's timing is not necessarily an attempt to avoid law suits.

[Moondog]

47. Oh, trust me, I realize that, and a lot more.

[glowing]

8. Isn't the normal corporate response not to be involved in any sort of violence.

If one of the employees had been hurt, they could sue and have huge legal/ medical fees... In fact, other fast foodie employees have been fired for involving themselves in action against robberies etc in the past.

[LisaL]

29. Yes, but he did more than just not being involved, considering

he taped it and then posted the tape on the internet. I am sure McDonalds doesn't want tapes posted on the internet, does it?

[Terra Alta]

9. the employee deserved to be fired

instead of filming the incident, he should have been dialing 911. I feel no sympathy towards him.

[OhioChick]

12. I wholeheartedly agree n/t

[Liberal_in_LA]

11. He's only 18 but he should be fired.

[seabeyond]

13. good to see one disgusted by the acceptance of this trash. nt

[cherokeeprogressive]

16. If he was the person I heard telling the gangsta'rettes to leave because the cops were coming I hope

the fucker gets prosecuted as an accessory.

[GKirk]

30. I think he could argue

that he said that in hopes of making them break off the attack.

[Omaha Steve]

17. A high school girl was beaten to death in a Burger King parking lot in Omaha a few years ago

I don't remember the legal outcome. S 24th St. after school in broad daylight.

[Renew Deal]

18. Employees are often fired for getting involved.

If you get involved you get fired and if you don't you get fired. Did anyone hit the panic button? That should have happened right away.

[wickerwoman]

49. +1

I remember last year a Best Buy employee got fired for following a shoplifter out into the parking lot and trying to stop him.

The consensus on DU then was that employees have no responsibility to intervene apart from calling the cops.

If the three girls doing the beating had had a knife and the employee had intervened and been injured, McDonalds would have been liable for a conduct code that required him to intervene.

It's hypocritical of them to secretly expect employees to intervene while telling them not to and then firing them whether they do or don't.

[BoWanZi]

20. Don't blame Mcdonalds, blame the employees and the people in the restaurant

I hate it when people vilify the "big bad evil corporation" just because they are an easy scapegoat. Mcdonalds the corporation can't control everything that goes on in each individual franchise just like they can't be blamed for this incident.

[Fuzz]

21. Employees get fired for getting involved, fired for not getting involved,

oh well. Fuck it.

[WatsonT]

28. More than "not getting involved"

he filmed it giggling then posted it on youtube.

Had he simply done nothing he likely wouldn't be fired, like the other employees.

[sendero]

32. Yes..

.... but without that video the chances the perps would have ever been caught would be about .... zero.

[tammywammy]

38. If he filmed it and handed it over to the police, I doubt he would have been fired

His giggling and posting it on YouTube is what did him in.

[Taitertots]

40. Do you honestly believe they would face justice if the video was turn over to the police?

I find that highly unlikely. If you have reason to believe otherwise, than I'd like to hear it.

[WatsonT]

44. Then the appropriate act

would have been to call the police and hand it over to them.

[Taitertots]

39. Fire him.... They should be praising him

His video is going to be the evidence that ensures they are prosecuted.

[LisaL]

41. In what universe would it be in McDonalds best interest to have

a video like this on the internet?

[Taitertots]

42. A universe where McDonald's is run by human beings that want justice for the attackers

This shows that the safety of their customers is second to their reputation.

[LisaL]

45. How does posting this video on you tube fits into all of this?

[WatsonT]

50. For what exactly?

He didn't film it because he thought it would be useful at the trial later.

He filmed it because he thought it was funny.

Hence why his first thought was to put it on youtube, not turn it in to the police.

Had he gone to the cops with it and not posted it on youtube this would be a very different story.