ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. — A Florida woman is accused of waving a loaded pistol at a McDonald’s drive-thru because she did not receive a free cookie, according to an arrest affidavit.
Amari Bente Hendricks, 24, of Altamonte Springs, was arrested Friday and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill, improper exhibit of a firearm, battery causing bodily harm and resisting an officer without violence, according to an arrest affidavit filed in Seminole County court records by the Altamonte Police Department.
According to the arrest affidavit, Hendricks allegedly confronted a McDonald’s employee at the drive-thru at the Altamonte Springs fast-food restaurant at 11:32 p.m. EST on Thursday, asserting that she was entitled to a free cookie because the employee did not ask her about the franchise’s rewards program.
The manager of the restaurant came to the drive-thru window and gave Hendricks a cookie, but she “continued to argue,” the affidavit stated.
The manager told police that Hendricks then grabbed a black handgun, inserted a magazine into the weapon and proceeded to “rack the slide.” The manager said she heard two click sounds “associated with someone chambering a round into a gun,” because she was familiar with guns, according to the affidavit.
Police said that Hendricks then parked her blue Chevrolet near the front door of McDonald’s and allegedly attempted to enter the restaurant. Another employee attempted to lock the front door but did not secure it properly, allowing Hendricks to gain access, according to the affidavit.
Hendricks then allegedly grabbed the employee by his arm and began striking him outside of the front door, the arrest affidavit stated. The man suffered “multiple scratches” to his face and neck area, the affidavit stated.
When police arrived, Hendricks allegedly refused to obey an officer’s command to exit her vehicle.
Hendricks has a legal permit to carry a weapon, according to the affidavit. The arresting officer said a Taurus GC3 was found on the floorboard of the driver’s side of the vehicle. The weapon was “loaded with a round in the chamber and a magazine inserted,” the affidavit stated.
While Hendricks denied waving the weapon at the drive-thru, video surveillance confirmed that she was holding an item similar to a handgun in her right hand and was inserting something with her left hand. The video then showed Hendricks waving the item, according to the affidavit.
Hendricks was arrested and booked into the Seminole County Jail. She made her first court appearance on Friday and will be arraigned on April 4, online court records show.
