VIDEO: Teens Allegedly Start Violent Melee In Inland Empire McDonald's
MORENO VALLEY (CBSLA) – Teenage girls were caught on camera hurling heavy objects at McDonald's employees in Moreno Valley after being asked to leave the children's play area – causing thousand dollars worth of damage, according to police.
"I was about to get hit in the head. They were throwing them pretty high too, like they had no aim," said employee Dexter Forbes Jr.
Forbes claimed they broke a monitor during a fight that quickly escalated.
"Telling me to get up and fight them, and I said I'm not gonna fight you," a 28-year-old mother, who didn't want to be identified, said. "I mean, you saw what they did to the older man."
The woman said she asked the teens to leave the kids clubhouse where her 2- and 5-year-old daughters were playing.
The woman said when she refused to fight the minors, "they came and they threw cups of water and ice at us".
Her father then chased the group outside and held onto one of the girls while he called the cops. At that point, the victim said she ran out and told him to let the girl go.
"They were punching me the whole time," she said.
This was the second time she said she asked the manager for help before a man in a black sweater stepped in between and got them behind the counter.
"He was doing way more work than my manager was. He was making sure they were okay, he walked to the back with them," Forbes said.
The manager called the cops, who Forbes said kept the manager on the phone for an extended period.
After he posted several videos to social media, he was allegedly suspended and later fired.
"I feel like it could have been prevented," the victim said.
A manager at the McDonald's said he couldn't talk about the incident, and referred KCAL9's Nicole Comstock to another manager, who did not immediately respond.
McDonald's released the following statement to CBSLA Tuesday night:
"The safety and security of our guests and their families are a top priority. We have been in contact with the local law enforcement and are fully cooperating with their investigation." – Thomas Mangione, Moreno Valley McDonald's Owner-Operator
One mother is hoping someone will recognize the girls in the video, which was viewed on Facebook over 56,000 times.
A YouTube video appears to show the fight, with several people throwing objects.