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A video showing McDonald's employees hiding inside the kitchen during an active shooter situation has received more than 22.1 million views since it was posted on Saturday.
The video, uploaded by @guate189 on TikTok, showed alleged footage from an active shooter situation from October 23. The footage showed the moment the employees in the McDonald's kitchen heard gunshots erupting nearby.
As the employees began shrieking in fear and hiding, police could be heard yelling at the gunman from outside the restaurant.
"Shooting in McDonald's," the on-screen text read in Spanish posted by @guate189, who goes by the name of Carolina.
According to Sheriff Carmine Marceno at the Lee County Sheriff's Office, the armed suspect, 41-year-old Marlon Illescas, got into an altercation and began shooting at officers in the Fort Myers Police Department. The suspect then retreated inside the McDonald's and barricaded himself.
In the video, police could be heard yelling at Illescas to put his arms up as he barricaded inside the restaurant bathroom for two hours.
According to the Gun Violence Archive, 2021 is expected to be the worst year for gun violence, with approximately 1,989 gun-related deaths. Other data also showed that gun sales surged in 2021, with gun owners in Florida registering the second-highest number of guns in the country, second to Texas.
Police said they were able to communicate with Illescas until his phone died; police then provided him with a charged phone to keep communication lines open.
While police communicated with the suspect on the phone, other officers were able to safely evacuate the employees who were still inside.
"You see this team? They're heroes," Marceno said during the press conference as he pointed toward the officers standing behind him. "This is what law and order is about because today these men and women of the Lee County Sheriff's Office prevented an active shooter."
Police were able to create a barrier around the McDonald's and then SWAT was contacted to deploy tear gas inside the restaurant in an attempt to drive the suspect outside and into custody.
After the suspect exited the restaurant, he was transported to a local hospital and treated for minor injuries, according to police. Afterward, he was taken into custody. No one was injured.
In the comments of Carolina's now-viral TikTok, some users said they had been in similar situations while working a shift at a restaurant.
"My PTSD just kicked in, this same exact thing happened to me when I worked at a Togo's in Santa Ana, CA," the user wrote.
"1984 I was a little girl at McDonald's in San Ysidro CA when a shooter walk [sic] in," one user commented. "We barely survive [sic] I still remember my parents trying to keep me alive."
The 1984 situation the user mentioned was the infamous "McDonald's massacre" in which James Oliver Huberty, 41, opened fire inside the crowded restaurant. Huberty killed 21 individuals and injured 19 others before he was shot and killed by police.
Others were quick to comment about how gun-related crimes were commonplace in the United States and how changes needed to be made regarding gun control.
"Does the USA have a gun issue ? Yes," one comment read.
"When will they see that they have a GUN PROBLEM???" another user wrote.
About the writer
Samantha Berlin is a Newsweek reporter based in New York. Her focus is reporting on trends and human-interest stories. Samantha ... Read more