Father Told 4-Year-Old To Fire At Officers After A Dispute At McDonald's Drive-Thru: Cops

A man was arrested for commanding his 4-year-old child to fire at cops at a McDonald's drive-thru in Utah following a dispute over a food order, police have said.

The incident took place when the unidentified man took his two young children to a McDonald's drive-thru in Midvale, just outside of Salt Lake City, Monday. The man reportedly flashed a gun at the fast-food workers at the pick-up window when he got upset about an incorrect food order. The employees then instructed him to pull to a waiting area while they corrected his order, and they called the police, Count on News 2 reported.

Officers arrived at the scene and forcefully removed the man from the vehicle as he did not cooperate with them. While the man was being taken into custody, he reportedly ordered the 4-year-old child seated at the back of his vehicle to shoot at the officers. The child's 3-year-old sibling was also in the backseat of the vehicle, Sgt. Melody Cutler, a spokesperson for the Unified Police Department, said, as per the outlet.

One of the police officers noticed a small hand holding the gun appearing from inside the vehicle's rear window. The officer swiftly swiped the gun to the side as it was fired and yelled "kid" to other officers after seeing the young shooter, Cutler added.

As the officer swiped the gun, the bullet struck upward, where it hit a restaurant awning. No one was seriously injured in the incident. However, the officer who struck the gun suffered a minor injury to his arm.

The suspect has been taken into custody, but the charges against him are not known. Meanwhile, his children currently remain in the custody of the family while the Division of Child and Family Services is looking into the situation. The agency will review the family circumstances and determine the actions to be taken, KUTV reported.

"To have an adult think it is OK to encourage a four-year-old to pull a firearm and shoot at police illustrates how out of hand the campaign against police has gotten," Salt Lake County Sheriff Rosie Rivera said, adding that it was a sad day for law enforcement and the community.