Sandy MaloneChicago, IL – A Chicago police officer got an unwelcome surprise when she bit into the fast food that she had just picked up at a Wendy’s drive-thru in the early hours of Monday morning.
Chicago police said the incident occurred at about 1:30 a.m. on March 21 at the Wendy’s restaurant located in the 1600-block of West Division Street, WFLD reported.
The officer was on duty when she stopped at the fast food restaurant’s drive-thru to get something to eat.
Police said the officer paid for her meal and left the drive-thru, WFLD reported.
But when she started eating her meal, the officer realized there was something wrong and the food was tainted.
Chicago police said the officer found hair and dirt in her food, according to WFLD.
The officer returned to the restaurant and went inside to make a complaint.
Chicago police said she talked to a Wendy’s employee about what had happened and what she had discovered in her food, WFLD reported.
But the employee was dismissive of the officer’s complaint.
The police department has launched an investigation into the incident and detectives from Area Three are investigating, according to WFLD.
The officer declined to receive medical treatment after the incident.
No charges have been filed as of yet in connection with the tainted food, WFLD reported.
The Police Tribune reached out to Wendy’s for comment but had not received a response at publication time.
Authorities have historically taken allegations of tainted food given to law enforcement officers very seriously.
In July of 2020, a McDonald’s employee in California who spit in a Bakersfield police officer’s burger was sentenced to 45 days behind bars and 100 hours of community service under a plea deal, KGET reported.
Tatyana Hargrove, 21, initially faced a felony charge of willfully poisoning food.
Hargrove was caught on security video rubbing the uniformed officer’s bun on the floor before she spit on it and then proceeded to make his burger and serve it to him.
Under the terms of the plea agreement, Tatyana Hargrove pleaded no contest to misdemeanor assault on an officer, KGET reported.
UPDATE: A Wendy’s spokesperson sent The Police Tribune a statement regarding the incident late on Tuesday morning.
“The quality and integrity of our food is our number one priority and we take any food-related claims extremely seriously,” the statement read. “We have been in touch with representatives from the Chicago Police Department and will fully investigate this matter. We have great respect for law enforcement and their service to our communities.”
Holly Matkin
