McDonald's workers' quick actions keep woman safe from man who threatened her, police say
McDonald's employees acted quickly, police say, to help a woman who asked an employee to call 911 and later mouthed "help me" while in line at the drive-thru.
The San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office says the Christmas Eve incident resulted in the arrest of a man for criminal threats, stolen property and illegal possession of a firearm.
The woman went into the restaurant around 2 p.m. and asked an employee to call 911, saying she wanted to be hidden in the restaurant, according to a release from the sheriff's office. She also provided the license plate of a vehicle she was traveling in.
After the woman used the restroom, a male suspect demanded she use the drive-thru to order. When the woman then drove a vehicle in the drive-thru line with the suspect in the passenger seat, she mouthed "help me" to an employee, police say.
When deputies arrived, employees quickly directed police to the drive-thru line and police pulled over the vehicle.
Police say they found a stolen firearm in the trunk of the car and arrested Eduardo Valenzuela on multiple charges.
"During the investigation, deputies comforted the shaken woman and discovered that Valenzuela had been violent with her in the past. On this day he told her to take him to visit his family and threatened her life," the release says.
The McDonald's location in Lodi, California, is owned and operated by Golden State Restaurant Group, according to a statement provided by McDonald's.
The group says its McDonald's locations are certified as Safe Places as a part of a national program aimed at helping young people in immediate need of safety. Staff go though an orientation that includes instructions on how to identify and assess situations, according to a statement provided to USA TODAY.
Online court records show Valenzuela is being held at the San Joaquin County Jail on $1 million bail, facing numerous charges including unspecified previous felonies. A public defender listed as Valenzuela's attorney in online court records did not immediately return a USA TODAY request for comment.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: McDonald's workers' quick help kept woman safe, California police say
