Nice guy Yossi Gallo got into an altercation inside a McDonald's in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, after bringing in and feeding a homeless man. Gallo told WMBF news, "I waved him down, and I said, 'Hey, are you hungry?' and he said, 'Yes.'"
But his philanthropy dissolved into a heated dispute with employees when the restaurant refused them service.
So I went in there with him, and as soon as we went inside, the lady at the register says, 'You're not getting food.' She tells him he's not getting food.
Gallo couldn't believe what was happening, so he took out his smartphone and started recording their exchange. He posted the video on Facebook where it went viral.
The video racked up over 21 million views and 1.2 million shares as of Thursday.
In the footage, a manager of the restaurant told an upset Gallo to keep his voice down when a police officer arrived at the scene telling the homeless man to leave the restaurant.
Gallo can be heard yelling, "You guys suck. He didn't even ask me for food. I brought him from outside. You guys suck."
"Calm your voice. That's what I'm asking you to do," said the manager.
Gallo continued yelling, "This is how I talk. I talk loud. If the officer has a problem with that, the officer's going to arrest me."
Gallo and the homeless man were eventually kicked off premises.
Earlier, a McDonald's employee complained of the panhandler out in the parking lot and called authorities, according to an email by Myrtle Beach police officer, Joey Crosby.
The restaurant employee who made the call also reported the incident as a trespass. Crosby told WMBF:
Upon arriving at the restaurant, an employee approached the officer and indicated the male was inside the establishment. The employee requested the officer issue a trespassing warning and asked that the person leave the premises.
The officer advised the male of the request made by the business and issued the warning. A bystander, who was videotaping the incident was also trespassed from the location, at the request of the manager, for what management deemed as disorderly behaviour.
Joel Pellicci, Jr, the owner of the restaurant's location, issued a statement explaining the man's familiar and unruly history.
At my restaurant, the goal is to provide our customers with a positive and welcoming experience each time they visit. Unfortunately, the individual in this video has a history of disruptive behavior and has been asked to leave by management and police on several occasions.
Unfortunately for the female officer who said, "I am the law," she became the subject of misogynistic vitriol online, forcing the comments section of the video to be disabled.
Gallo didn't mean for this to get out of hand.
I think that's completely wrong. Completely wrong. I do believe that she was doing her job. I do believe that she was doing her job. She did nothing wrong. I don't have any anger towards her in any way.
The city's mayor, Brenda Bethune, lauded the officer's handling of the incident, arguing that viewers didn't see the whole story unfold in the viral video,
(The officer) handled herself in the most professional manner and treated this gentleman with dignity and respect. I believe in our police department. I know how close they work with our homeless community as well as the four shelters located within our city limits.
Some people saw the injustice of how McDonald's handled the fracas.
People were riled by Gallo being kicked out. But just to be clear, the restaurant wasn't frowning upon the charity.
The problem could be part of a bigger picture.
Jane Rosenberg
Jane Rosenberg
@arianagrande/Instagram
@arianagrande/Instagram