Man killed when line for coveted Popeyes chicken sandwich turns violent in Maryland
A fight late Monday over a Popeyes chicken sandwich ended when one customer stabbed another to death at a fast-food restaurant in Maryland, according to police.
A suspect, 30-year-old Ricoh McClain, was arrested Nov. 14, according to the Prince George’s County Police Department.
McClain is charged with first-degree murder, second-degree murder, first-degree assault, second-degree assault and reckless endangerment, according to a press release. He was being held “on a no-bond status,” a release said.
He was found at a home in the community’s Capitol Heights area, officials said.
“This one is extremely difficult to put into words,” police spokeswoman Jennifer Donelan said at a press conference. “We lose a life in our county, it is devastating ... but today’s details, it’s just hard to put into words as to what happened here.”
It happened around 7 p.m. Monday at a Popeyes restaurant in the 6200 block of Livingston Road, as both men waited for one of the popular sandwiches. The victim was identified as Kevin Davis, 28, of Prince George’s County, officials said at a press conference. He died at a hospital, officials said.
“There was an argument that began in the restaurant ... between two adult males. That argument spilled out into the street and one male stabbed the other,” Donelan said at the press conference.
“What we have since been able to determine ... is that this is related to the release of the sandwich here at this restaurant. That this individual was in line, a line specifically for the sale of the sandwich when another customer and he got into an altercation. ... Somebody cut in front of the other.”
Chief Hank Stawinski said as many as three dozen people, including children, were in the restaurant at the time the “absolutely pointless” crime occurred.
Stawinski said the victim “methodically cut in front of other customers” over a 15-minute period and was confronted as he reached the front of the line.
“Fifteen seconds later, a stabbing occurred ... on the sidewalk in front of the store,” Stawinski said at the press conference. “The question I and my detectives have to answer is how does a confrontation lead to a homicide in 15 seconds.”
While the line was specifically for people waiting to get a chicken sandwich, neither of the men had ordered their food when the stabbing occurred, Stawinski said.
Investigators do not believe the two knew each other prior to the incident, he said.
The initial release of the Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen chicken sandwich earlier this summer became a social media phenomenon that inspired a series of crazy incidents, including angry customers pulling guns in Texas when told the sandwiches were sold out.
Popeyes announced last week that, after a two-month hiatus, it would begin selling the sandwiches again on Sunday, “and people are losing their minds,” CNN reported.
Media outlets raised questions Monday night about whether Popeyes would consider halting the sale of the sandwiches, but Donelan said she had not yet discussed the matter with restaurant management.
This story was originally published November 5, 2019 at 5:57 AM with the headline "Man killed when line for coveted Popeyes chicken sandwich turns violent in Maryland."