Georgia woman, 27, arrested after opening fire in McDonald's kitchen because she got 'cold fries'
GARDEN CITY, GEORGIA: A Georgia woman was arrested on Tuesday, July 23, for firing her gun inside a McDonald's restaurant after complaining that her fries were cold.
Lillian Shantel Tarver, 27, is facing charges of aggravated robbery and armed assault for discharging her weapon inside the McDonald's in Garden City, according to WTOC.
The restaurant's owner said Tarver had initially left the restaurant with her order before coming back and complaining that her fries were cold. When the manager went to fetch her new fries, Tarver reportedly went into the kitchen and fired a shot into the floor.
Lynn Watson, who works at the restaurant, said the incident was much more drawn out, and that there was a full-fledged brawl in the kitchen before Tarver fired the shot.
Watson said Tarver was first verbally fighting with her. Then she reportedly took her drink and threw it at her and the restaurant manager before rushing behind the counter to confront them.
The fight then escalated into a physical one as Tarver became aggressive.
"We were physically fighting because I had to grab her because she was putting up a set like this, and I had to seize my moment when I knew I could," Watson said. "When she bent down, I grabbed her hair and just started slinging her across the floor."
At this point, Tarver retreated to her car. But after a few minutes later, she barged into the kitchen with a gun.
"Then, we were in the back of the store," Watson recalled. "She came to the back of the store walking like, you know, she was ready to shoot."
However, when deputies from the Garden City Police Department arrived at the restaurant at around 2:45 pm, they learned that the woman had left already.
GCPD Detective Roberto Rodriguez told USA TODAY that an officer had seen a car leaving the McDonald's at a "high rate of speed" and that the driver initially refused to pull over.
He said the driver, later identified as Tarver, surrendered on Liberty Parkway after a "10 to 15-minute chase." She was taken into custody without incident.
While no one was hurt, the shooting has left many of the employees at the restaurant, including some who are teenagers who are working summer jobs, fearing for their life.
"I fear for my life, and my family fears for my life," Watson said, adding that she was now trying to transfer to a new location.
Tarver is being held at the Chatham County Jail without bond.