Homeless man steals car, uses it to rob chicken from McDonald’s Drive Thru–twice
A McDonald’s employee in Springfield, Missouri got a fright when a man pulled up to the drive thru window with a gun in his lap. They later told police they cleared all other employees out of the line of fire, then approached the window. Did the man want cash? Hostages? Nope, he was just hungry.
Kai Burton (29) reportedly avoided eye contact with the employee, or his passengers in the car. But when the employee said, “How can I help you?” Burton handed over a receipt from a previous McDonald’s trip. The same day. He didn’t touch the handgun, but it was sitting on his right thigh, the barrel pointed at the McDonald’s.
The old receipt was for one order of four McCrispy chicken strips and a McChicken sandwich. An employee later told investigators that they felt threatened by Burton, and that if they didn’t make the food he would shoot.
The employee passed the old receipt back to the kitchen and they whipped up the food again. Burton took his chicken and drove away without paying.
Catching the McDonald’s thief
The McDonald’s employees obviously called the Springfield police. They ran Burton’s plates and found the car recently reported stolen. While officers were debating how to proceed at 9 PM, Burton rolled up to the McDonalds a third time.
This time, before he could order his usual four chicken strips and chicken sandwich the SPD parked him in. Burton reacted immediately and was able to drive around the drive-through line, past the officer, and out onto W. Washita Street.
Police chased Burton, so Burton abandoned the stolen car at an intersection. He and his passenger fled on foot. Police tracked him to a friend’s house on North Lyon. When they demanded everyone exit the home, Burton came out and police took him into custody.
Burton has a prior felony in Texas and an ongoing trial in Missouri for tampering with a vehicle. Missouri court documents show him as homeless instead of listing an address. Police found two guns in Burton’s stolen car. They found a second stolen car at the home on North Lyon. All because he wouldn’t pay $6.98 for his chicken strips and sandwich.
