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A 12-year-old boy was stabbed in the neck by a man in a Pittsburgh, Philadelphia McDonald’s. According to officers, the boy was attacked around 2 p.m. CT on March 20, 2021. The fast-food restaurant is located on Liberty Avenue in Downtown Pittsburgh.
Officers arrested 51-year-old Charles Edward Turner and charged him with attempted homicide. They also charged him with two counts of simple assault, four counts of aggravated assault, and resisting arrest. Turner is being held at the Allegheny County Jail.
The boy’s family was with him when the man attacked him standing in line in the McDonald’s restaurant. According to the police, Turner tackled the boy before stabbing him in the neck. The boy’s family immediately attempted to stop and restrain Turner.
One family member attended to the injured boy. Another one continued attempting to hold Turner down until authorities arrived. Turner kept pushing back onto the man and repeatedly bit him. These bites caused the man to bleed.
Two of the McDonald’s employees attempted to intervene in the situation until help could arrive. They helped with the child until Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and police arrived. EMS crews rushed the boy to the hospital. He was in critical condition but has since been upgraded to stable.
The police have not found a link between those involved in the McDonald’s incident. After Turner attacked the boy he began pacing back-and-forth in the McDonald’s parking lot. Turner reportedly was also yelling racial slurs while in the parking lot. He then returned to the lobby of McDonald’s.
According to the criminal complaint, the boy’s family members attempted to question Turner at that time. Turner told the family members that “he only wanted to finish his coffee and then leave…”
When officers attempted to arrest Turner he became combative — kicking and punching the authorities. During their investigation, officers located a box cutter at the scene.
According to David Kaplan from WTAE, Pittsburgh Police are consulting with the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) on whether the McDonald’s incident “would be classified as a hate crime.”
Written by Sheena Robertson
Source:
WPXI: Police: Man tackled 12-year-old, stabbed him in the neck at downtown McDonald’s
Featured Image Courtesy of Mike Mozart’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License