New McDonald's Assault Video Could Lead to Hate Crime Charges
[There was a video here]
The internet has fallen in love with another video of a fight in a fast-food restaurant, this one of a nasty assault at a Rosedale, Md. McDonald's that culminates in the victim having a seizure. It's pretty awful!
Police say the victim, 22-year-old Chrissy Lee Polis, was attacked by two women ages 14 and 18, both of whom have now been charged with assault. They may also face hate-crime charges; according to Equality Maryland, Polis is a transgender woman, and the attack should be investigated as a hate crime. (Previous hate crime speculation had centered on the fact that Polis is white and her attackers are black.)
The video doesn't show much besides the intense assault, but The Smoking Gun (which identifies the videographer as McDonald's employee Vernon Hackett) uncovered some Facebook posts alleging that the woman attacked Polis for using the women's bathroom. Polis, Hackett says, "got real smart at everybody." He also accuses her of faking the seizure. (Hackett defends himself later: "I have no hate for anybody... no matter tha gender/race or sexual preference.)
McDonald's, for its part, has released a statement describing itself as "shocked" at the video. "Shocked"! Has the company spent any time on the internet lately? About 40 percent of all videos online depict brawls in fast food restaurants. The rest is pornography.