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Shocking video shows furious McDonald’s customer pulling employee’s face mask off in ‘burrito row’

Police were called to an Orange County McDonald’s over the incident
Police were called to an Orange County McDonald’s over the incident
Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images

Footage of the moment an angry McDonald's customer snatches an employee's face mask while reportedly complaining about a burrito has sparked outrage on social media.

The clip of the exchange in California's Orange County was posted to TikTok, where it went viral, prompting fury at the customer's behaviour and allegations of assault.

The customer can be heard furiously demanding to know the cashier's name, saying: “I run a restaurant.”

The unidentified woman then stormed to the other side of the till.

Ignoring the cashier's warnings of “step back or I'll call the police”, the customer can be seen grabbing at the employee's face mask and ripping it off.

The furious customer then bizarrely claims to another employee that the cashier is “going to jail” as a result of the exchange, before appearing to storm out.

“Thank you, have a good day,” the employee replies.

Deicy Calderon, who posted the footage, alleged that, “apparently this was over a breakfast burrito they forgot to put in”.

Orange Police Department told Newsweek that officers were called to the McDonald's on North Tustin Street at 11am on 24 January after an employee reported a customer as having come “into the restaurant and tore her mask off”.

“Officers responded and the customer had already left the area,” a spokesperson said. “Officers contacted the employee and conducted an area search for the customer. No further action was requested.”

And the branch's owner Larry Kaplan, told Newsweek: “Nothing is more important to us than the safety and well-being of our people, and local law enforcement officials have been contacted about this matter. We are grateful to report no employees were injured during this unfortunate incident.”

The footage prompted anger on social media, and an outpouring of sympathy for the cashier’s situation.

One TikTok user wrote: “I’m a manager at a McDonald’s and this made me so upset, especially going back there and taking off her mask. We deal with this every day.”

“Food service workers really don’t get paid enough for that bull. Please just be respectful,” said another.

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