MIDVALE, Utah – A father in Utah is facing criminal charges this week after reportedly telling his 4-year-old child to shoot at police, which then occurred, while he was being arrested following a confrontation at a local McDonald’s, according to law enforcement authorities.
The unnamed suspect was arrested at a McDonald’s in Midvale after restaurant employees told police the man “brandished a firearm” at the drive-thru after his order got mixed up, a press release from the Unified Police Department of Greater Salt Lake said.
Once McDonald’s employees saw the firearm, they asked the father to wait for his correct order near the front of the restaurant and called police, Yahoo News reported.
Upon arrival, officers asked the suspect to exit his vehicle. However, he repeatedly refused, authorities said.
As a result, police were forced to pull the man from the automobile. At the time, one officer saw a gun pointed at police from the back window of the vehicle as the suspect reportedly instructed the child to shoot.
The officer alerted others at the scene to the weapon and yelled “kid” while attempting to swipe it away just as the gun discharged, according to police.
Police said the child who fired the weapon was four years old. Moreover, the child’s three-year-old sibling was also in the rear seat of the vehicle, Yahoo reported.
During the potential catastrophic event, police confirmed in the press statement that the father told his child to fire the weapon at officers.
One of the officers sustained an unspecified minor injury to his arm. No other injuries were reported.
“This is a sad day for law enforcement and our community,” Sheriff Rosie Rivera declared. “To have an adult think it is okay to encourage a four-year-old to pull a firearm and shoot at police illustrates how out of hand the campaign against police has gotten.”
“This needs to stop and we need to come together as a community to find solutions to the challenges we face in our neighborhoods. Officers are here to protect and serve and we are beyond belief that something like could happen,” Rivera concluded.
The custodial status of the children was not provided as the investigation remains ongoing.
UPDATE
An arrest report says a Utah man claims he “blacked out” when he allegedly told his 4-year-old son to shoot at police during a dispute at McDonalds.
Sadaat Johnson, 27, was identified as the suspect. He is being held without bail in the Salt Lake County Jail on charges of child abuse and use of a dangerous weapon, KUTV reported.
Johnson threatened employees with a gun after a disagreement over his order at a McDonalds restaurant, the police affidavit reads.
“Post Miranda, the driver, later identified as Sadaat Johnson stated that he blacked out and that he did not remember brandishing the gun or racking a round at the McDonald’s employee. The driver did admit that this was not the first time that his son had gotten ahold of his gun,” the arrest report says, according to KUTV.
UPD says the children were released to family members, but Utah Child and Family Services investigators will be looking into the situation.
