12-year-old stabbed in neck while waiting in line at McDonald’s

A young boy was stabbed while waiting in line at McDonald’s with his family.

The boy was at the fast-food eatery on Sunday afternoon in Pittsburgh when a man stabbed him with a box cutter. The young boy is in stable condition, per Pittsburg CBS Local.

“He was with his family, he was standing in line, they had just zipped in for one quick thing,” said Cara Cruz, deputy public information officer for the Pittsburgh Public Safety department,

Charles Edward Turner, 51, was standing in line behind the child before he tackled him out of nowhere. As people pulled them apart, they noticed the child’s neck was slashed.

“It’s really quite a tragic thing on a beautiful Saturday downtown,” said Cruz. The McDonald’s is located on Liberty Avenue and Stanwix Street.

Turner was arrested and is being charged with four counts of aggravated assault, two counts of simple assault, criminal attempted homicide, and resisting arrest. It does not appear that Turner knew the child.

Read More: McDonald’s sued by Black franchisee for racial discrimination

According to documents, Turner resisted arrest and injured officers who were treated for cuts and minor injuries due to him kicking and punching them. He is being held at Allegheny County Jail.

“Two McDonald’s employees did try to intervene and help the child then police and EMS arrived on the scene,” said Cruz.

The black and yellow box cutter used was discovered at the scene along with a piece of the blade that was found near where the stabbing took place.

As reported by theGrio, another man was recently stabbed at fast food eatery in Texas recently, for simply enforcing COVID-19 restrictions.

Police are still searching for the suspect who stabbed a Jack in the Box manager in League City, Texas on Wednesday, per CBS News.

“It’s a very polarizing situation,” said League City Police Chief Gary Ratliff at a news briefing on Thursday. “Where some folks don’t believe that there should be masks and others do.” 

The man has been identified as 53-year-old James Schulz and is described as “bearded, white male” and a “transient.” 

Officers did not apprehend the man but possibly found his backpack, bicycle, and cell phone as he fled the crime scene. The suspect became belligerent with the restaurant staff before he attacked the manager. Reports say he refused to wear a mask.

 Schulz took out his camera phone to take a video for his lawyer because he assumed he was being discriminated against and denied service because he was homeless. But reports say the man attacked the manager and stabbed him three times in the upper torso and arm with a pocketknife.

He fled after employees stepped in to defend the manager.

Read More: Cops’ posts to private Facebook group show hostility, hate

“A lot of these people have had some of these events, I don’t know this manager, but have had personal events with loved ones that have died and passed away as a result of COVID, as some of our officers have,” said Ratliff. “All I would ask is that people respect the opinions and the policies of these businesses.”

Have you subscribed to theGrio’s podcast “Dear Culture”? Download our newest episodes now!