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Man caught putting soda into water cup, hits manager with car, gets felony charge

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Anoregon

The flight plan I just filed with the agency list me, my men, Dr. Pavel here. But only one of you!
I sometimes get free water cups and put soda in them too. I don't think I want run someone over if they tried to stop me, though.

I'm a rebel, dottie.
 

Tigress

Member
Most places will train you specifically to not do this, though. If you even so much as step outside in chase of someone at places I've worked, it's a terminable action.

Mainly cause they don't want to pay your medical bills. Working retail I'm fine with that. What they pay me is not worth risking physical harm trying to stop a thief (my store also has the policy of we're not allowed to stop a thief which is good cause I'm not going to try).

McDonald's used that rule (not allowed to stop a thief) to do things like deny workers comp on a guy who saved a female customer from getting shot by her abusive bf (he ended up getting shot imatead). They pretty much said what he did was against policy so they weren't liable (I still think it is sucky in that case as he was being a Good Samaritan and it stopped some one from being harmed, not just something getting stolen). Given that I'm sure the manager was going against store policy. This has come up before with McD's. And if he was injured McD's would deny worker's comp.
 

Alebrije

Member
I sometimes get free water cups and put soda in them too. I don't think I want run someone over if they tried to stop me, though.

I'm a rebel, dottie.

fuck-the-police-dax-flame.jpg
 

Lagamorph

Member
What the hell at people criticising the manager. He should just let people do what they like and send the message that his store is an easy target?
 

akira28

Member
Dude those soda fountain things have a high markup. So they only really are losing about 10-20 cents with that cup. Is it even worth it for the manager to waste his time from the day to day operations for that? Lol

usually not, which is why people do things like this.

Manager blinked, they did not. I'd say getting hit by a car you are trying to block in with your body is getting your bluff called pretty hard.
 

dskillzhtown

keep your strippers out of my American football
What the hell at people criticising the manager. He should just let people do what they like and send the message that his store is an easy target?

Because he risked his life for about .50, most likely broke company rules as well. So you think that it was a completely rational response to do what the manager did?
 

Kusagari

Member
What the hell at people criticising the manager. He should just let people do what they like and send the message that his store is an easy target?

He's literally risking his life over a 1.50. How does he know if the kid had a gun or what? McDonalds and other companies even tell their employees not to do stupid stunts like this.
 
honest question, if someone is blocking your car with their body not letting you leave, what are your options?

1. get out and move them, physically most likely hurting them.
2. hit them, physically most likely hurting them.
3. let them get their way and not go anywhere?

i know these guys were stealing and idiots and stuff, im genuinely curious
 

darkside31337

Tomodachi wa Mahou
honest question, if someone is blocking your car with their body not letting you leave, what are your options?

1. get out and move them, physically most likely hurting them.
2. hit them, physically most likely hurting them.
3. let them get their way and not go anywhere?

i know these guys were stealing and idiots and stuff, im genuinely curious

Get out of the car, apologize for being an idiot and give the guy his $1.50 would be option #4
 
I do think the manager had no business doing what he was doing. Shouldn't he be charged with false imprisonment? He has no authority to stop what is basically a petty crime.

But dude should have also just paid for a $1.50. Now his life is likely ruined.

No it's not false imprisonment. A store manager can hold someone they know committed a crime. It gets tricky when it's just suspicion.
 

old

Member
Kid is a dumbass, but the manager is way too zealous over protecting 2 cents worth of soda syrup. I expect the manager to get fired for putting the business at such great lawsuit liability over such a trivial matter.
 

tim.mbp

Member
honest question, if someone is blocking your car with their body not letting you leave, what are your options?

1. get out and move them, physically most likely hurting them.
2. hit them, physically most likely hurting them.
3. let them get their way and not go anywhere?

i know these guys were stealing and idiots and stuff, im genuinely curious

Call the police. Obviously doesn't work if you just committed a crime.
 

Ray Wonder

Founder of the Wounded Tagless Children
honest question, if someone is blocking your car with their body not letting you leave, what are your options?

1. get out and move them, physically most likely hurting them.
2. hit them, physically most likely hurting them.
3. let them get their way and not go anywhere?

i know these guys were stealing and idiots and stuff, im genuinely curious

peg him in the face with 6 quarters and he'll go away
 
I do think the manager had no business doing what he was doing. Shouldn't he be charged with false imprisonment? He has no authority to stop what is basically a petty crime.

But dude should have also just paid for a $1.50. Now his life is likely ruined.

If there is anything I've learned about bad kids like that growing up is they'd probably do anything to avoid spending a buck-fifty. The manager could of just called the police and get the plate number instead of standing there expecting juveniles to do the right thing.

Its a nasty thing for me to say, but I've seen it way too many times. They chose to learn life lessons the hard way.
 

DOWN

Banned
Sorry about the title. I didn't think it was that bad. Essentially a rewrite of the first line in the article. The "soda into water cup" bit is the notable aspect of this story, so wanted to get that in the title. Should I drop the felony charges part? Is that the issue people have with it?

EDIT: Thanks to whichever mod changed it for me.
It was a misleading swipe at McDonald's
 

Kaako

Felium Defensor
These complete morons deserve what they get. Also manager should've had better sense and got the fuck out the way but he didn't think he was dealing with complete morons perhaps?
 

daveo42

Banned
I don't really know what's worse: stealing fountain soda from McDonald's or the manager making that soda the hill he dies on. Running over the manager was definitely a bad look though, as I'm sure the cops wouldn't have really cared much over a few bucks of sugar water lost or the penalty being all that harsh.
 
Yeah, no. Putting the soda into the water cup was technically stealing and it was escalated the whole situation, ultimately resulting in the charges. I wanted to get that across in the title. I legitimately did not think it was a problem, but I guess I was wrong.
I find it hard to believe that you legitimately don't know why people would take you to task over "Teen hit with felony charges after putting soda into his water cup at McDonald's," but I'll play your game.

Felony charges are wildly disproportionate for stealing a couple of cups of soda, yet those are the only things you mention in the title. Seeing such a crazy title prompts people to wonder what the fuck went on, i.e. total clickbait bullshit. In reality, stealing the soda didn't prompt the felony charges, it was what the kid did after he was confronted by the manager. If the kid just left the stolen soda in the restaurant, probably nothing else would have happened. If the kid took off running, the manager might have let him go or chased him, either resulting in little else happening. If the kid threw the soda at the manager, maybe there would be a misdemeanor assault charge. But what happened is that the kid got in to his car (fine,) the manager blocked the car in with his body (dumb, probably against company policy, but whatever,) and then the kid decided, "Nope, I ain't gettin' banned from another Micky D's, blow wheels!" and then ran over the manager with his car. At that point, it's not at all about stolen soda, it's vehicular assault and the charges are completely warranted.

But if you actually said that, you wouldn't get clicks.
 

gutshot

Member
I find it hard to believe that you legitimately don't know why people would take you to task over "Teen hit with felony charges after putting soda into his water cup at McDonald's," but I'll play your game.

Felony charges are wildly disproportionate for stealing a couple of cups of soda, yet those are the only things you mention in the title. Seeing such a crazy title prompts people to wonder what the fuck went on, i.e. total clickbait bullshit. In reality, stealing the soda didn't prompt the felony charges, it was what the kid did after he was confronted by the manager. If the kid just left the stolen soda in the restaurant, probably nothing else would have happened. If the kid took off running, the manager might have let him go or chased him, either resulting in little else happening. If the kid threw the soda at the manager, maybe there would be a misdemeanor assault charge. But what happened is that the kid got in to his car (fine,) the manager blocked the car in with his body (dumb, probably against company policy, but whatever,) and then the kid decided, "Nope, I ain't gettin' banned from another Micky D's, blow wheels!" and then ran over the manager with his car. At that point, it's not at all about stolen soda, it's vehicular assault and the charges are completely warranted.

But if you actually said that, you wouldn't get clicks.

Thanks for that. I think the part I screwed up on was putting felony in there. I did not realize how serious those type of charges were versus others. That made the thread title much more misleading than I intended.
 

Guevara

Member
The other problem is: you report a smalltime crime like this to the cops and the cops won't do anything. So that won't help either.
 

Anoregon

The flight plan I just filed with the agency list me, my men, Dr. Pavel here. But only one of you!
$1.49? Large Sodas have been $1 flat for Like 10+ years now

What I came in here to say!

I don't go to McD's regularly, but I find this pretty hard to believe. Maybe it's a regional thing, because I live near NYC and there's pretty much no fast food place around where you will spend less than $2 on a soda.
 

Zoe

Member
I don't go to McD's regularly, but I find this pretty hard to believe. Maybe it's a regional thing, because I live near NYC and there's pretty much no fast food place around where you will spend less than $2 on a soda.

In Texas and Louisiana (as far as I can recall), it's $1 for any size drink.
 

dity

Member
Hitting a dude with your car over $4.50 worth of soft drinks? That seems... amazingly short sighted. Must have been really craving that cola.
 
Everyone involved is an idiot. Standing in front of some dude's car over $1.49 soda at a fast food restaurant? Proceeding to mow the overzealous manager down? Lol, Christ.
 

spekkeh

Banned
The kid is a fucking moron but why the hell is the manager possibly risking his life over a 1.50 soda?
I'm guessing if he was able to reach around and try to get the key out of the ignition they weren't really trying to run him over either. That's not something you usually do after narrowly escaping with your life. Though most likely the lawyer will spin it that way regardless because $$$. Either way in the US the kid is screwed over 1.49.
 

Tigress

Member
He's literally risking his life over a 1.50. How does he know if the kid had a gun or what? McDonalds and other companies even tell their employees not to do stupid stunts like this.

And if he gets injured McD's will refuse worker's comp. They've done it before when an employee stepped in a domestic abuse issue happening in a store and got injured (shot with 300,000 dollar hospital bill: http://www.newser.com/story/51290/mcdonalds-wont-pay-hospital-bills-of-hero-employee.html). McD's refused to pay for his medical bills (and this was a guy stepping in to prevent harm to another person, not just prevent theft).

I'd say the manager was foolish to try to stop the person over a drink. He's not getting paid enough and he will be the one risking the hospital bills and McDs pretty much has already stated they'd prefer taking the loss from thieves than the injury bills from employees trying to stop thieves.

As a retail slave, I actually have to say this is one incidence where I think capitalism and our sucky/expensive healthcare works in my favor. I don't want to risk injury to stop a thief (especially not with my pay) and my store doesn't want me to either so I don't even feel pressured that I have to. And I have no illusions that my company has that policy cause they care about me getting hurt (my direct managers would but I doubt corporate has that policy cause of that, we're just numbers to them). They just don't want to pay any worker's comp (or also if I'm an idiot about it lawsuit from the people I tried to stop).
 

hughesta

Banned
why would the manager care that much

kid's a piece of shit for endangering human life but I do wonder why the manager would go so far over a little soda.
 

HUELEN10

Member
Yup. What they always drilled into us at the convenience store was never do anything physical to try to stop a robbery of any kind. Guy was reckless and got hurt.
He didn't do what is recommended, but he wasn't in the wrong. He blocked, didn't punch or nothing. Isn't this victim blaming?
 

Tigress

Member
He didn't do what is recommended, but he wasn't in the wrong. He blocked, didn't punch or nothing. Isn't this victim blaming?

The way I look at it is the manager did nothing wrong but he was foolish cause he really had nothing to gain from doing it and a lot to lose. If he stops them, he sends a message to other thieves and that's about it. He doesn't stop the store from losing the product (which probably cost all of less than a buck for what htey pay). They already poured it and he cannot resell it anyways.

If he fails he gets injured, the store still loses that product, thieves manage to get away, and he has to pay for the medical bills. McDonald's has already proven in history (I've mentioned it twice now) that they will not pay the medical bills in this case cause they'll lean on their rule that you are not supposed to do this to say it was not part of his job. They may even fire him (Home Depot did just that at least one time) as McDonald's doesn't even want him to do that and they don't want others to think they're not serious about that (because he may sue and even if he loses they have to pay some court costs).

The reward really isn't worth the risk for him. The best he can hope for is some thieves didn't get away with some small time theft (and his company may still be peeved at him. The home depot guy successfully stopped the thief, Home Depot still sacked him until they caved to the PR outrage). Yes, thieves are annoying and it is annoying to let them get away. But it really isn't worth it. I think I had a manager who had a good attitude about it (we had really really lax rules on returns at the time and thieves would try to return stolen product to get money back). She pretty much was of the attitude that the store obviously didn't care as they refused to even let her refuse a return so she wasn't going to spend too much time caring about it either (basically it's on corporate and if they don't care don't let yourself get too bothered by it. In this case it would have helpd the manager too... just pin it on well corporate doesn't want me to stop them so they're the ones eating the loss.. oh well).
 

ryan13ts

Member
Stupid on both ends. Dumb kid should have just paid for the drink and dumb manager shouldn't stand behind a vehicle that can run him over for $1.49 soda being stolen (Just get the license plate # if you're that much of a soda crusader).

No one comes out looking particularly smart in this situation.
 
D

Deleted member 284

Unconfirmed Member
I do think the manager had no business doing what he was doing. Shouldn't he be charged with false imprisonment? He has no authority to stop what is basically a petty crime.

But dude should have also just paid for a $1.50. Now his life is likely ruined.
No authority, sure. But what was false? I mean is that how that law works?
 
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