An on-duty Chicago cop was allegedly served food containing hair and dirt after ordering from a Wendy's drive-thru, police say.
According to WGN9, the alleged incident took place at a branch of the fast food outlet located in the 1600 block of West Division Street at around 1:30 a.m. on Monday, March 21.
The female officer involved had reportedly started eating her food when she discovered the hair and dirt. The Chicago Police Department (CPD) has confirmed that detectives are investigating the incident.
A CPD report obtained by CWB Chicago indicates that the officer involved was a "41-year-old sergeant" who was in uniform and driving a marked car when she visited the Wendy's in question.
She is also described as "a 14-year veteran of the force assigned to the Shakespeare (14th) District" but was not directly named.
The news outlet states that the officer proceeded to order a "double cheeseburger" and was already eating when she found the hair and dirt.
According to a CPD spokesperson quoted by CWB Chicago, the sergeant then "entered the restaurant and spoke to an on-scene witness who was dismissive of the victim's concerns."
The CPD report said that by then, the officer involved had activated her body camera to record the interaction.
An internal email quoted by the news source states that a lieutenant on the scene told police officers the manager of the fast food outlet "gave [the sergeant] attitude" and "would not take her complaint seriously. All the manager would do is offer her a refund."
The report also notes that the officer "became ill" as a result of the incident and "began to throw up several times." However, she declined medical attention at the scene.
CWB Chicago reports that Area Three detectives have now been assigned to investigate the allegations.
A Wendy's spokesperson told Newsweek: "The quality and integrity of our food is our number one priority and we take any food-related claims extremely seriously.
"We have been in touch with representatives from the Chicago Police Department and will fully investigate this matter. We have great respect for law enforcement and their service to our communities."
The incident comes after two women were caught on camera assaulting a Wendy's employee in Cincinnati in February following a dispute over the way the worker handled their food at the restaurant's drive-thru window.
Later that same month, police were called to a Wendy's in Swansea, Illinois, when a man allegedly opened fire in a branch of the fast food chain after becoming upset with the service he received at the outlet's drive-thru.
Wendy's was back in the headlines again this March after a video showing a customer ordering food after noticing a car was on fire in the parking lot went viral on TikTok.
The dramatic footage was filmed at a Wendy's in Round Rock, Texas.
Update 03/22/22 12:53 P.M. ET: This article has been updated to include comment from Wendy's.
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