'You don't deserve American food': Florida man arrested after allegedly attacking two men he believed to be Muslim in a McDonald's parking lot
- John Smith was arrested after he allegedly attacked two men he believed to be Muslim in a McDonald's parking lot.
- "Get the f--- out of here, you don't deserve American food," Smith yelled, one of the victims told police.
- According to reports, Smith approached the men with a knife and a stun gun in the fast-food restaurant's parking lot.
A man was arrested after he allegedly attacked two customers outside of a McDonald's in St. Augustine, Florida, in what police believe to be an anti-Muslim crime.
Police arrested John Smith on Wednesday after he allegedly approached two men in the fast-food restaurant's parking lot, The Florida Times Union reported.
"Get the f--- out of here, you don't deserve American food," Smith yelled, one of the men told police.
Smith was reportedly holding a knife as he approached the men, and he pulled out a stun gun after the two entered their car. According to First Coast News, he attempted to use the stun gun on one of the men in the vehicle.
"I don't have any hard feelings towards him, we just feel really vulnerable and scared," one of the victims told First Coast News.
According to police, Smith may have been intoxicated and committed the acts because he believed the men to be Muslim.
Smith is now facing two counts of aggravated assault, in addition to single counts of trespassing and burglary with an assault or battery.
St. Johns County Sheriff's Office spokesman Chuck Mulligan told First Coast News that Smith may be additionally charged for hate crimes, as he reportedly approached the victims due to their "purported religion or ethnic background."
The interaction comes at a time when racism at restaurant chains has been in the spotlight.
Since footage of two black men being arrested at a Philadelphia Starbucks went viral in April, countless other stories have emerged of similarly unfair treatment. Earlier in May, a video showing a man at a California coffee shop harassing a Muslim customer went viral.