A late-night McDonald’s drive-thru visit in Miami Gardens turned terrifying when a worker allegedly pulled a gun on a woman and her family during a heated argument over a delayed order, according to police and court filings.
Authorities say Anthony Markeith Elliott III, 19, has been charged with aggravated assault with a firearm following the confrontation that took place shortly after midnight on November 2 at the McDonald’s located on Northwest 183rd Street.
The Miami Gardens Police Department reported that what began as a simple online pickup escalated after customers complained about the long wait for their food.
According to an arrest warrant, some victims who ordered online had to come all the way to McDonald’s to pick up their food and stated that “they had been there a long time waiting for their food… they argued back and forth, and then the defendant stated he would come outside. And then came outside and flashed them a gun on his waist band.”
The woman at the center of the incident, Chayton Timmons, told WPLG that her family had been waiting “over an hour” for the pre-ordered meal when tensions flared.
“We looking at each other, me and my goddaughter looking at each other, like, ‘Why are you upset?’ And he was like, ‘I don’t have to give you nothing,’” Timmons recalled. “He was like, ‘What you said (expletive)? What you said (expletive)?’ And we were like, ‘Are you serious?’ Like, what’s really going on? So he clutched at his waist.”
Moments later, things took a dangerous turn. The police affidavit notes, “They continued arguing with him and then he approached the car and pulled the gun from his waistband and pointed it at them in the car.” Officers later described the weapon as a silver handgun with a black grip.
Realizing the situation could escalate further, Timmons said she immediately called for help. “I got on the phone with the cops,” she said. “I said, ‘This is going to go one of two ways, Miami Gardens Police Department: Y’all need to get here to McDonald’s, because somebody finna die.’”
Timmons, who previously survived a shooting, told the station she wasn’t willing to let history repeat itself. Showing her scar to reporters, she added, “He has a death wish. He must have a death wish. This has got to be a suicide. Because it’s no way I’m finna allow you to do anything bodily harm to mine.”
When the reporter joked, “All over McNuggets!” Timmons clarified, “All over McChicken,” and shook her head in disbelief. “He must want to have a McFuneral to put my kids in harm’s way and that’s a problem for me,” she said. “I’m not that type of girl, I’m not that type of woman and I’m not the type of parent.”
According to police, there was little dispute about what happened once officers arrived. “When we confronted the defendant, he admitted to pulling out the firearm and advised us where he had stored it inside the store,” the affidavit states. “The gun matched the description given to us by the victims. The witness, who is the store manager, also advised us what had occurred, and all three stories matched.”
Elliott was booked into custody but later released on a $1,000 bond. The investigation remains ongoing as McDonald’s corporate offices have yet to comment on the incident.
