A white customer in a Burger King drive-thru pulled a gun on a Black cashier who tried to give him a promotional discount on his order, leading to a life-threatening confrontation early on Easter Sunday, police said.
No shots were fired during the unprovoked incident, which happened March 31 at the BK on Vine Street in Willowick, Ohio, where 38-year-old Howard Vernon was working the drive-thru window at 9 a.m.
The man whose order Vernon took minutes earlier appeared again in the drive-thru and pointed a gun, apparently angry that he had paid less than the full price for his meal, police said.
While aiming the weapon, the man called Vernon a racial slur and threatened to kill him as another customer sat in the potential line of fire.
Police are still searching for the suspect, who was driving a gray Honda sedan and last seen wearing a gray sweatshirt and a hat, but he has yet to be identified by authorities.
The frightening episode was captured on restaurant surveillance video, which showed the armed man taking aim at the cashier across the roof of another vehicle that had pulled forward in line.
Moments earlier, Vernon said the man had placed an order for two sausage, egg and cheese croissants, a sausage biscuit, and hashbrowns, which ended up costing $8 after Vernon applied the store discount.
But when the price of the meal rang up $3 lower than expected, the man protested.
“He was like, ‘My order can’t be right, it should be like $11’ and I’m like trying to explain to him that we had a promotion going on, and like it’s cheaper, and he started cussing and getting all loud, and I was like, I don’t know what to tell you, I don’t know why you want to pay more money,” Vernon told local station WOIO.
The man sped away at first, but returned to the drive-thru moments later as Vernon was serving the next customer. That’s when the suspect pulled up alongside the other waiting vehicle, stood outside his car and pointed the gun at Vernon in a one-handed shooting stance, the video shows.
Vernon said he wondered how something harmless like a discount could set the man off, and that he applied the promotional reward as he would have for any other customer.
“To know that somebody would do something like that just because I’m trying to give you a better deal and just to flip out like that, yes, it is scary,” Vernon said, adding that he was shaken up by the incident and had to take time off work.
“At the end of the day, it was about some bread and sausage sandwiches at 9 o’clock in the morning on Easter, and you’re that mad that you’d put a gun in somebody’s face?” Vernon said. “I don’t know why people are so angry out here at 9 o’clock in the morning.”
