Man steals, eats family’s food at McDonald’s in California hate crime, cops say

A man accused of eating a family’s food and making racist comments at a McDonald’s restaurant faces a hate crime charge, California police reported.

Marcus Harper, 22, of Union City, also faces a charge of battery in the 2:15 p.m. April 5 incident, Fremont police said in a Wednesday, April 16, news release.

Harper approached an Indian woman with two children eating inside the restaurant, took food from the table and ate it in front of them, KTVU reported

He walked away, then returned and slapped the mother across her face from behind, police said.

“ ... go back to your country,” Harper told the family, according to police reports, KRON reported.

He threw an open condiment packet at a 9-year-old girl, which stained her sweater, the station said. Authorities said he left the restaurant before police arrived.

Detectives investigating the incident identified Harper and arrested him on a warrant Tuesday, April 15, after finding him sitting alone in his vehicle, police said.

“This act of hate based upon the perceived national origin of these victims is completely unacceptable,” Alameda County District Attorney Ursula Jones Dickson said, KTVU reported.

Fremont is about a 40-mile drive southeast from San Francisco.

This story was originally published April 17, 2025 at 10:54 AM with the headline "Man steals, eats family’s food at McDonald’s in California hate crime, cops say."