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McDonald’s Employees Tried to Stall Facebook Killer by Making Him Wait for Fries

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McDonald’s employees in Pennsylvania tried to stall the man accused of killing an elderly stranger in Cleveland when the suspect stopped to order food at the fast-food chain in the midst of a manhunt.

A McDonald’s employee who recognized Steve Stephens told the Erie Times-News that he called state police and waited before handing Stephens his complete drive-through order of 20 chicken nuggets and fries.

“We told him his fries were going to be a minute,” Henry Sayers, the manager of the Erie County restaurant, told the Times-News.

“I am pretty sure he figured out that we were on to him,” said Thomas DuCharme Jr., owner and operator of the McDonald’s, according to the Times-News. “He didn’t want to wait for his fries.”

Stephens, 37, drove away without them, and he was confronted by police about five miles away. He shot and killed himself after law enforcement officials attempted to confront him.

Stephens is accused of fatally shooting 74-year-old Robert Godwin Sr. at random on Sunday and then sharing the footage on Facebook.

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Write to Katie Reilly at Katie.Reilly@time.com