The arrest of Luigi Mangione—suspected in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson—has triggered an unexpected backlash. But the criticism is not aimed at the alleged assailant; it is instead being directed at McDonald’s.
Luigi was apprehended at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, thanks to a quick-thinking employee who called 911.
Highlights
- Luigi Mangione's arrest at McDonald's triggered massive 1-star reviews for the fast food outlet.
- The 26-year-old suspect was apprehended after a McDonald’s worker in Altoona, Pennsylvania, called 911.
- As one-star reviews piled up, some alleged that there were “rats everywhere,” while others called the staff “McSnitches.”
- “Fire all the rats working here!!!!!!” one person said.
Some netizens have branded the suspected shooter as an antihero of sorts, lauding him for the alleged killing of the healthcare executive and father-of-two.
Luigi Mangione, a wealthy Ivy League graduate, was apprehended for the alleged murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson
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Luigi was taken into custody on Monday, December 9. The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office charged him with second-degree murder, criminal possession of a loaded firearm, possession of a silencer, and possession of a forged instrument.
His arrest sparked a wave of hate online, aimed at the fast-food outlet for reporting him to the authorities.
Review sites were flooded with scathing comments accusing the restaurant of betrayal, with users calling it a “fed hotspot” and urging others to avoid dining there.
He was taken into custody after cops were informed of a suspicious man at a McDonald’s outlet in Altoona, Pennsylvania
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As one-star reviews piled up, some alleged that there were “rats everywhere,” while others called the staff “McSnitches.”
“Fire all the rats working here!!!!!!” one person said. Another wrote, “They are just looking for an excuse to arrest citizens.”
Trolls didn’t hesitate to slam the McDonald’s worker who provided the tip-off to officials.
Online fascination has been growing over Luigi and the alleged crime, with some branding him an antihero
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Another wrote, “I won’t be going to this location again after they helped to ‘rat out’ a man who was simply enjoying some fast food.”
“Dude should have gone to waffle house. That staff wouldn’t have said s— to anyone,” one user wrote on Reddit.
“Out of solidarity, I will be boycotting all McDonald’s in the area,” read another comment on the social media platform. “I would suggest you consider doing the same.”
Others seemed starstruck by the arrested Ivy Leaguer and heir to a massive family fortune in Maryland.
Outrage was directed at the fast-food chain after a tip-off by an employee led to Luigi's capture
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“The manhunt has now ended with investigators declaring ‘too hot to convict,’” one X user said.
Luigi was apprehended at the McDonald’s outlet after a vigilant customer alerted a staff member about the suspect, who was wearing a blue medical mask and looking at a laptop with a backpack on the floor near the table.
Responding officers recognized him after they arrived at the fast-food joint and asked him to pull down his mask.
“My partner and I recognized him immediately,” Altoona Patrolman Tyler Frye told reporters during a news conference on Monday, December 9. “Just from what we saw in the media, with photos, videos, we just didn’t even think twice about it, we knew that was our guy.”
Trolls flooded review platforms with scathing comments and boycott calls targeting the McDonald’s outlet
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Image credits: darafaye
While at the McDonald’s, officers noted that the suspected gunman “became quiet and started to shake” when he was asked whether he had been in New York recently.
“That really invoked a physical reaction from the suspect,” Altoona Deputy Police Chief Derek Swope told reporters Monday night. “He became visibly nervous, kind of shaking at that question, and he didn’t really answer it directly, so that statement alone really said a lot, and the suspect didn’t have to say a lot after that question to show that, you know, he was very nervous at that point.”
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said Luigi was no hero and praised the McDonald’s staffer who called 911 as the real hero
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Following his arrest, officials also acknowledged how some circles online are glorifying Luigi, who is currently facing charges in connection with UnitedHealthcare CEO’s murder.
“In some dark corners, this killer is being hailed as a hero. Hear me on this, he is no hero,” Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said after the alleged shooter’s arraignment. “The real hero in this story is the person who called 911 at McDonald’s this morning.”
“If the McDonald’s gets shut down over this it will be the funniest domino effect ever,” one social media user said
