Cop called to remove homeless man who was 'asking for scraps' from restaurant buys him a meal instead

A police officer in South Carolina was called to a Hardee's restaurant to remove a homeless man "asking for scraps" from the establishment. However, when Horry County Police Officer CJ Mullinax responded to the call, instead of taking the man away, he pulled out his wallet and offered to buy him a meal in a touching gesture. 

An employee at the restaurant, Victoria Paige Summer, posted about the encounter on Facebook on Saturday along with a 20-second video showing the police officer standing next to the man at the register. Paige Summer, in her post, said: "[He] handled the situation amazingly!”

Reports state that eatery near Highway 17 had been feeding the man for days, however, according to the employee, a customer decided to call 911 on Saturday to complain about him.

When the officer came to the joint, the employees and customers at the restaurant were shocked to hear that he asked the man if he was hungry and pointed at the menu with a grin, according to the New York Post.

Summer, while talking to WMBF, said: "I was thrilled that the officer had so much compassion so I thought I should take a video."

The video, which is public on social media, has been viewed nearly 90,000 times as of Tuesday morning. Several people commented on the video too, appreciating the kind gesture by the cop.

One of the Facebook users commented: "Nice to read such a good story! Kudos to the officer!”  While another said: "People forget that the police are there to not only protect but also to serve."

“He was begging for scraps, not money…God bless him for being willing to feed his fellow man!” a woman commented on the post.

Another Facebook user, a resident of Myrtle Beach, said that he recognized the homeless man in the clip, and said that he was a veteran named Donald.

"He served in the Army from 1978-1981 then got out, worked in construction and then hit a wall which brought him to a point in his life that walked him down the road to homelessness…. his family doesn’t talk to him and he’s the nicest guy,” the local said.