By Police1 Staff
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — Officials have defended an officer at the center of a viral video, saying the footage doesn’t tell the whole story.
Video captured a Myrtle Beach officer informing a homeless man that he had to leave a McDonald’s after finishing his meal, according to WUSA-9. Yossi Gallo, who filmed the incident, said he personally paid for the man’s food and can be heard in the video telling McDonald’s staff that they “suck” for asking the man to leave.
Gallo’s comments led to management asking him to also leave the eatery for being “disorderly.” The exchange was uploaded on Facebook, where it has garnered more than 64 million views.
Sometimes I hate the world.... ☹️
Posted by Yossi Gallo on Wednesday, February 28, 2018
Myrtle Beach Police Captain Joey Crosby said officers were dispatched to the McDonald’s after receiving a call from an employee alleging that the homeless man was in the parking lot asking people for money. An employee told the officer that he wanted the man to get a trespass warning and be removed from the restaurant.
Myrtle Beach Mayor Brenda Berthune defended the officer’s actions and said she acted in the “most professional manner.” She said she reviewed the body cam footage and that the community doesn’t know the entire story.
“I believe in our police department. I know how closely they work with our homeless community,” Bethune said. “Let’s reach out and do everything we can possibly do to help our homeless community and be in support of our police department.”
Joe Pellicci, the owner of the McDonald’s restaurant, said that the homeless man “has a history of disruptive behavior and has been asked to leave by management and police on several occasions.”