Police investigate attack at Gympie McDonalds

Police have charged a man after he entered the McDonalds restaurant in Gympie and allegedly attacked multiple kiosks with a crowbar.

Kiosks screens were smashed in at McDonalds after an incident on Wednesday night. April 26, 2023. Picture: Christine Schindler

Gympie McDonalds went into lockdown on Wednesday night after a man wielding a crowbar wrapped in a towel allegedly smashed in the self-serve kiosk screens.

Police have charged a 31-year-old Gympie man after he was arrested at an address in Lawrence St Thursday afternoon.

The incident happened around 7.45pm on Wednesday.

After using the wrapped crowbar to strike several service kiosks, the man fled towards Hyne St, a Queensland Police Service spokesperson said.

No one was physically harmed during the incident, they said.

He has been charged with one count of entering premises and committing an indictable offence, one of stealing and one of possessing used utensils or pipes.

The man will appear in Gympie Magistrates Court on Friday, April 28.

A social media post at around 8pm warned the public not to go to McDonalds as it was closed after it had been apparently “smashed up” by someone.

A parent of one of the workers on duty at the time said “some idiot with a crowbar” had gone into the store and “smashed the kiosk”.

Police attended the scene and the store was in lockdown for some time, though the drive-through remained open.

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On Thursday morning, all of the self-serve touchpad kiosks at McDonalds appeared to have been strapped and covered in cardboard, but the restaurant otherwise appeared to be operating as per usual.

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The managers on duty declined to comment.