A dad with facial palsy says he was made to feel like a criminal after McDonald’s staff called police on him – because they thought he was drunk. Craig Brown, 46, was left stunned when an ‘overwhelming’ number of police vans swooped at the drive-thru as he waited almost an hour for food.
He had paid for two chicken mayo sandwiches, a burger and three hot chocolates when six officers ordered him from his car at around 1am last Sunday. Workers at the fast food branch in Blackpole, Worcester, had called police believing the dad-of-five was drunk and had been smoking cannabis.
But tests confirmed he was completely sober and then McDonald’s handed him his food which was cold. Craig was previously diagnosed with Bell’s Palsy which causes one side of his face to sometimes droop and believes staff mistook his condition for being drunk.
He said he had joked with cashiers heâd âneed a hotelâ due to the 45 minute wait but claims had not been acting intoxicated in any way or slurring his words. The self-employed electrician claimed he was abruptly told to wait in a parking bay while he was with a friend- where they remained until cops arrived 10 minutes later.
Craig, of Worcester, said: âIt was a bit of an ordeal really, it shocked me when I saw the police arrive with their blue lights on. I saw one van then two others arrived. It was a shocking experience. I didnât think they’d be coming for me. Iâm not a restless sort of guy. But there comes a point when you get past the intercom when youâve ordered your food and youâre waiting for 40 minutes.
“We got to the window and they gave us our hot chocolate and they asked us to park in the bay. I think I jokingly said to them âshall I book a hotel?â They said ‘sorry we’ve had screens go off’, so I think they were lying to me until the police got there. I wasnât slurring my words, I wasn’t drunk. You can tell straight away when someone is on drugs, and that wasn’t anything like me.
“The police then arrived, pulled over and got straight out. They were looking for registration plates but I didn’t think it was for me. I was shocked and in disbelief really when they accused me of being drunk and taking drugs. I don’t do drugs and rarely drink so I was astonished.
“There were people watching me, I use that van all the time. Itâs in my name. It made me feel like a criminal. They made me do a breathalyser test. I told them I’d score zero. When the police had finished with me, we got the food but it was stone cold. They didnât offer me a replacement meal or anything.
“I understand they have a duty if there was someone drunk in the store or reversing into cars, but they had no evidence that I was drinking or doing drugs.”
Craig said he was diagnosed with Bell’s Palsy several years ago which has caused one side of his face to drop and may have been the cause of the confusion. He added: âIâve had Bell’s Palsy so one side of my face is slightly dropped, but other than that surely you know when someone is drunk.
“Maybe my face was dropped on one side, I donât know. Maybe that was the cause but itâs still wrong. Why did six police officers come too, they blew it way out of proportion. One came on a flashing blue light. When I saw the van with the blue light I thought something was kicking off, so it was quite a shock. You just canât assume I’m on drugs.
“It was intimidating – it doesn’t take three vans and six officers. I don’t know what right McDonald’s has to call the cops. If they saw me leaving the pub across the street and swerving I would understand but I wasn’t.
“It’s disgusting thinking about how much money I spend there and the way they have treated me. I’ll certainly think twice about returning.”
A McDonaldâs spokesperson said: âAt McDonaldâs, we are committed to being a responsible neighbour and contributing to the safety and well-being of the communities we serve. It appears that in this instance, although our teamâs intentions were well-meaning, their judgment was incorrect, and for that we would like to apologise to the customer.
“However, it is important to emphasise that our focus remains on the safety of our local communities.â
A West Mercia Police spokesperson said: “Officers were called to McDonald’s on the Blackpole retail park at around 1.10am on Sunday 6 October, following a reported concern over a driver who was potentially under the influence.
“Upon officersâ arrival, they located the driver who passed a breathalyser test, and no further police action was required.”
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