--- title: Teen Arrested After Filling McDonald's Water Cup With Soda description: The incident escalated quickly canonical: https://time.com/4303219/water-cup-soda-mcdonalds-arrest/ author: Julia Zorthian article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-04-21T15:03:15.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:31:44.323Z article:section: Business og:title: Teen Arrested for Felony Robbery After Filling McDonald's Water Cup With Soda og:description: It escalated quickly og:url: https://time.com/4303219/water-cup-soda-mcdonalds-arrest/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt27398e3df1406a23/69889028cd1bbaa1297005e4/mcdonalds-cup-theft-water-car.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: mcdonalds cup theft water car og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Teen Arrested for Felony Robbery After Filling McDonald's Water Cup With Soda twitter:description: It escalated quickly twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt27398e3df1406a23/69889028cd1bbaa1297005e4/mcdonalds-cup-theft-water-car.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Teen Arrested for Felony Robbery After Filling McDonald's Water Cup With Soda  by [Julia Zorthian](/author/julia-zorthian/)  ## Julia Zorthian Apr 21, 2016 3:03 PM CUT  NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 13: A customer fills a 21 ounce cup with soda at a 'McDonalds' on September 13, 2012 in New York City. In an effort to combat obesity, the New York City Board of Health voted to ban the sale of large sugary drinks. The controversial measure bars the sale of sugar drinks larger than 16 ounces at restaurants and concessions. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 13: A customer fills a 21 ounce cup with soda at a 'McDonalds' on September 13, 2012 in New York City. In an effort to combat obesity, the New York City Board of Health voted to ban the sale of large sugary drinks. The controversial measure bars the sale of sugar drinks larger than 16 ounces at restaurants and concessions. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)Mario Tama—Getty Images  by [Julia Zorthian](/author/julia-zorthian/)  ## Julia Zorthian Apr 21, 2016 3:03 PM CUT An 18-year-old has been [charged with felony robbery](http://www.4029tv.com/news/police-report-man-arrested-after-putting-soda-in-water-cup-at-mcdonalds-driving-away/39106694 "undefined") for allegedly filling a water cup with soda at an Arkansas McDonald’s and backing into a store employee with his car during an escape. Cody Morris and two friends allegedly took soda from the fountain without paying for it, but when McDonald’s branch employees in Springdale, Ark. instructed him to return the stolen property, he left the store to make a getaway in his car, the Sprindale Police Department [says](https://www.facebook.com/SpringdalePD/ "undefined"). Two employees then tried to detain Morris by standing behind his car, when he backed into one of them multiple times during a scuffle for the keys, according to authorities. Police explained on [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/SpringdalePD/photos/a.103470293162686.6584.103350903174625/575795182596859/?type=3&theater "undefined") that “the theft became a robbery when the alleged suspect allegedly used force to resist apprehension by the store employees.” Authorities also specified that Morris had asked for a size “large” water cup — which can hold 32 ounces of liquid. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4303219/water-cup-soda-mcdonalds-arrest/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4303219/water-cup-soda-mcdonalds-arrest/"},"headline":"Teen Arrested for Felony Robbery After Filling McDonald's Water Cup With Soda","datePublished":"2016-04-21T15:03:15.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:31:44.323Z","description":"And driving into an employee","url":"https://time.com/4303219/water-cup-soda-mcdonalds-arrest/","keywords":["Newsfeed","Crime","Business topic"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt27398e3df1406a23/69889028cd1bbaa1297005e4/mcdonalds-cup-theft-water-car.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Julia Zorthian","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/julia-zorthian/"}],"articleSection":"Business","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt27398e3df1406a23/69889028cd1bbaa1297005e4/mcdonalds-cup-theft-water-car.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"mcdonalds cup theft water car","caption":"mcdonalds cup theft water car","creditText":"Mario Tama—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/business/","name":"Business"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4303219/water-cup-soda-mcdonalds-arrest/","name":"Teen Arrested for Felony Robbery After Filling McDonald's Water Cup With Soda"}}]}] ```