Amari Hendricks in court on Feb. 17, 2023, the day after she allegedly pulled out a gun on McDonald’s employees for not immediately giving her a free cookie she believed she was owed. (Screenshot: WESH)
A woman allegedly pulled out a gun on McDonald’s employees — all after they initially did not give her a free cookie. Amari Bente Hendricks, 24, faces two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill, and other charges, records show.
This all happened on Thursday morning at a McDonald’s on state road 434, according to police in Altamonte Springs, Florida. Restaurant employees said Hendricks was at the drive-thru window, arguing with one of them. She allegedly maintained that she was entitled to a free cookie because an employee did not ask her about a reward program.
Hendricks, described by police as “yelling and irate,” argued with the manager, and she kept arguing even after getting a free cookie, according to the arrest documents. She allegedly went as far as to pull out a gun.
“Once Hendricks grabs the handgun [the manager] sees Hendricks insert a magazine into the handgun and rack the slide,” police wrote. The manager heard her chamber a round into the firearm, according to documents.
The manager said she feared for her life because of this and backed out of the drive thru window out of sight, though she did not remember Hendricks making any direct threats to her.
“[Another employee], who was standing in the area of the drive thru window, sees Hendricks point the firearm towards the drive thru window where he is standing, and said he was able to see down the barrel of the firearm,” police wrote. “[He] does not believe the firearm was pointed directly at anyone at this time, but in the area of where he was standing.”
While the McDonald’s employees were working to get all the doors locked up, Hendricks parked her vehicle and made her way to the front door, authorities said. She allegedly got it open because the second employee did not manage to lock it properly.
“Hendricks then grabs [him] by his left arm, forces him out of the business, and begins to strike him multiple times,” police wrote. This left him with multiple scratches to his face and neck, though he managed to free himself, officers said.
In a post-Miranda interview, Hendricks allegedly told police she argued with staff over not getting a free cookie because she was not asked about the rewards program. Though she admitted owning a gun, she denied pulling it out or making threats with it, police said. Hendricks allegedly said she and one of the employees got into a “tussle” when she attempted to enter the restaurant.
According to cops, they found her gun on the driver’s side floor board. She allegedly asserted she always kept it unloaded without a magazine.
“Hendricks said she does not know why the firearm was loaded with a magazine in it when we found it,” police said. She acknowledged having her gun on her during the physical encounter with the employee.
Police claim surveillance footage shows her in the drive thru “holding a dark colored object similar to the shape of a firearm in her right hand, and inserting something into the apparent firearm with her left hand.” She was seen waving it around in the vehicle, they said.
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