Cleveland Burger King employee held at gunpoint by an irate customer—for giving them a discount
He almost paid the ultimate price for giving a discount.
A Cleveland Burger King employee was held at gunpoint by an irate customer — who didn’t like being given a $3 discount on his meal.
Howard Vernon, 38, was working the drive-thru Easter morning when an customer came through his lane, ordering two sausage egg and cheese croissants, a sausage biscuit and hash browns around 9 a.m., the employee told Cleveland 19.
The total came out to around $8, three dollars less than the normal cost due to the special running at the time.
“He was like: ‘My order can’t be right it should be like $11,’ and I’m like trying to explain to him that we had a promotion going on and it’s cheaper, and he started cussing and getting all loud,” father-of-10 Vernon told the outlet.
“I was like I don’t know what to tell you I don’t know why you want to pay more money,” he continued.
“To know that somebody would do something like that just because I’m trying to give you a better deal and it flip out like that, it is scary,”
Initially, the customer had sped off from the location in Willowick, bu then pulled up parallel to the pick-up window minutes later while another car, driven by an older woman, was waiting for their food.
While Vernon was helping another customer, the suspect, who is still at large, pulled a gun on the employee and threatened to kill him while using racial slurs, he told Cleveland 19.
“At the end of the day, it was about some bread and sausage sandwiches at 9 o’clock in the morning on Easter and you’re that mad, you’d put a gun in somebody’s face?” Vernon questioned.
“After I thought about it afterwards, it had me shook up a little bit… what if he did shoot me and kill me you know? I have 10 kids! I would have been leaving all my kids,” Vernon said.
Although Vernon admits he wasn’t scared in the moment, he hasn’t been back to work since, but does plan on returning.
The Willowick Police Department is still looking for the suspect, who drives a dark Honda vehicle.
The Post has reached out the police department for further comment.
