McDonald‘s drive-thru dispute ends with employee shooting customer, FL cops say
A pre-dawn argument at a McDonald’s drive-thru turned potentially deadly when an employee shot a customer, according to investigators in Florida.
The bullet went in one side of the victim’s neck and out the other, but spared his life, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office reported in an affidavit.
It happened just after 3 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 12, at the McDonald’s on Osceola Polk Line Road in Davenport and ended with the employee arrested days later, the sheriff’s office said.
“The investigation revealed that Peter Story and Nicholas Jones arrived at the restaurant ... and entered the drive-thru lane. Yoan Soto, who was working the drive-thru window, informed them that the store was extremely busy and not accepting additional orders at that time,” the affidavit reports.
“Story and Jones became argumentative with Soto over the drive-thru speaker. ... Video surveillance shows Story and Jones entering the restaurant and engaging in a verbal confrontation with Soto.”
The store’s night manager attempted “to de-escalate the situation,” resulting in Soto retreating to the employee break room, the affidavit reports.
It’s there that he is believed to have retrieved a gun from a backpack before returning to the lobby to confront the two customers, the affidavit reports.
“Soto points the handgun at Jones as they move toward the counter area. He advances on Jones, holding the firearm in one hand while pushing him with the other. Soto then turns the firearm toward Story, who pushes the gun upward,” the report says.
“A physical struggle ensues, during which the firearm discharges, striking Story in the neck. Story sustained a through-and-through gunshot wound to the neck, with an entry wound on the left side and an exit wound on the right.”
All three men fled the restaurant, but Soto first made sure to retrieve his backpack and “collect a spent shell casing from the floor,” the report states.
A search of his home was conducted, resulting in the discovery of a “9mm spent shell casing, a projectile jacket, and clothing matching what Soto was wearing during the incident,” officials said.
He was arrested Oct. 14 and has been charged with tampering with physical evidence, jail records show. Bond was set at $5,000.
Medical personnel determined Story’s wound is non-life-threatening, “and Story is expected to make a full recovery,” the affidavit reports.
Davenport is about a 65-mile drive northeast from Tampa.
This story was originally published October 22, 2025 at 12:49 PM with the headline "McDonald‘s drive-thru dispute ends with employee shooting customer, FL cops say."