A Colorado-based Taco Bell is facing questions after an individual suffered a severe reaction to their takeout meal, claiming the food was contaminated with rat poison. Such allegations are deeply concerning and require investigation if we want our fast food outlets to remain safe and trustworthy.
On Saturday, an anonymous customer went to a fast food store in Aurora and quickly became ill after consuming their burritos. He was transported to the hospital where doctors determined he had consumed “copious amounts” of a hazardous chemical.
The Taco Bell store adamantly denied allegations that their employees poisoned the customer’s order.
Lary Swift, the store manager of the location, reported that a regular customer caused frequent disruptions and even threw a taco at an employee in the past. On this particular day, however, police had to be called due to his altercation with staff members at the drive-thru. Unfortunately for him – shortly afterwards he was hospitalized.
During his chat with CBS, Swift recollected how the customer had challenged the staff at 1pm because they gave him plain water instead of soda due to their C02 carbonating machine not working. The aggravated patron requested ‘something free’ as compensation for being served that alternative drink.
Swift announced that he had asked for three bean burritos, and as an added bonus, was gifted a fourth one.
While it is still unknown who dialed 911 during the incident, Sheriff Deputy John Bartmann said that when police arrived at the drive-thru, everything appeared to be under control.
After hearing both sides of the story, the deputies concluded that no criminal act had been committed and departed.
After returning to his abode, the customer diligently carried out a few household duties before settling in for an episode of 60 Minutes on TV.
After the show finished around 7 pm, it was only then that the man finally had the opportunity to indulge in his four burritos.
Instantly feeling sick and vomiting, the man was rushed to a nearby hospital via ambulance where doctors swiftly identified what had caused his sudden sickness.
It wasn’t until the evening that police were made aware of an alleged case of poisoning, as hospital staff had received a call from someone who claimed their Taco Bell order was dosed with rodenticide.
Bartmann divulged to DailyMail.com that the authorities declined to give out the identity of the man in question.
He warned that the ratio of rat poison in the burritos was alarming and could have been dire to their health. It’s still unknown whether they are still hospitalized, however, it is thought that they managed to overcome this incident.
Authorities are examining the security recordings from within Taco Bell to determine if the rat poison was indeed added to his meal at this establishment.
This ongoing instance has been deemed a “criminal attempt homicide”.
On Sunday night, authorities had to shut down the Taco Bell in Aurora; however, it was open for business by Wednesday morning.
In a statement to CBS, Manager Lary Swift refuted the allegations of poisoning.
‘We don’t carry poison in the restaurant,’ she stated. ‘We didn’t do anything like that. It didn’t even add up. It’s ridiculous.’
When inquired for a statement, Taco Bell Corp remarked: ‘The safety of customers and team members is a priority. The franchisee who owns and operates this location has informed us that they are working with local authorities in their investigation.’
