A McDonald's employee has been fired for throwing water in the face of a homeless man at the drive-through window of one of the chain's Detroit locations, the store's franchisee told Detroit media on Wednesday.
Footage of the callous incident was posted online and quickly went viral, igniting outrage and sparking his dismissal, McDonald's franchisee Wise Finley said.
The clip, which has been viewed hundreds of thousands of times, was filmed by a customer at the drive through and the McDonald's employee is clearly visible. The worker, who has not been identified, beckons over an elderly homeless man, who he calls Willy, to the restaurant window by holding out a food package.
As the man comes to get the sandwich, the McDonald's worker throws a cup of water in his face while the driver in the car laughs.
"Why'd you do that?" the homeless man asks, soaking wet. It is unclear when it was taken.
Finley said he was "disturbed" by his employee's behavior, which he called "inappropriate."
"This type of behavior is not tolerated in my organization. I expect my employees to treat everyone with dignity and respect, and this was unacceptable," Finley told the Detroit Free Press. "This individual no longer works for my organization."