California husband sues McDonald’s after ‘vagrant’ kills his wife in drive-thru

[Tired Thrush]

Homeless Man's 'Vagrant' Behavior Leads to Fatal Attack on McDonald's Couple in California

A grieving husband has filed a lawsuit against McDonald's, claiming that employees watched as his wife was brutally attacked and left for dead by a "vagrant" at one of the restaurant's drive-thrus. The incident occurred last March when Jose Juan Rangel's wife, Maria Vargas Luna, 58, was killed in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of East Los Angeles.

According to court documents obtained by Law & Crime, Luna was stuck in her car with her husband when a homeless man, Charles Cornelius Green Jr., approached their vehicle and launched himself at Rangel before striking him repeatedly through the open driver-side window. The couple's daughter has previously criticized the handling of the case, accusing Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón of "brushing off" the crime.

The lawsuit alleges that McDonald's employees ignored obvious danger, failed to monitor customer areas, and acted negligently by not taking action despite Green's behavior posing a threat to customers. The restaurant had been a magnet for crime, with police responding 132 times to violent incidents at the location between 2020 and March 2024.

The court documents claim that McDonald's knew about Green's history of loitering and causing problems but failed to take measures to prevent such incidents. Rangel claims that his wife leapt from their car to help her husband, only to be shoved to the ground by Green, resulting in catastrophic injuries.

Luna suffered permanent brain damage due to her fall, and she was placed on life support for several months before passing away. The case remains unresolved, with Green having been initially charged but having his charges dropped after determining Luna's fall was accidental.

The lawsuit asserts that McDonald's had a duty to respond reasonably once Green became threatening, even without security guards present. The couple is seeking damages and justice in their pursuit of accountability for the restaurant's alleged negligence.

This incident highlights concerns about public safety at fast-food establishments, particularly in areas with high rates of homelessness and crime.

 

[Teenage Chipmunk Dis]

this whole situation just breaks my heart ... its like we gotta think about the humanity here instead of blaming people or places for the problems... we all gotta take responsibility for our actions & be more mindful of others ... fast food joints are supposed to be safe spaces not war zones ... what can we learn from this? maybe that we need to look into ways to support ppl struggling with homelessness instead of just shoving them aside ...

 

[Awesome Wagon Chase]

this is just heartbreaking I mean can you even imagine being stuck in a car and someone attacks you like that? it's not McDonald's fault they're just trying to make money for their families but the fact that they knew about Green's history and didn't do anything about it is just disgusting

we need to talk about homelessness more we can't just write off people as vagrants and expect them to magically become productive members of society it takes a lot of work to get back on your feet and sometimes we need to give people chances to show us they're not going anywhere

anyway this lawsuit is a good starting point maybe it'll make McDonald's rethink their safety protocols or at least the way they deal with problematic customers

 

[Mario's Battle Squadro]

What a perfect example of how our society's lack of affordable housing & mental health services creates a ticking time bomb ! Meanwhile, corporate giants like McDonald's are more concerned with their bottom line than the well-being of their customers or employees . The fact that they knew about this homeless guy's history but did nothing to prevent it is a clear case of corporate negligence .

And let's not forget, George Gascón's handling of the case has been anything but helpful, hasn't he? It just goes to show how out of touch our politicians are when it comes to addressing real issues like homelessness. We need systemic change, not just a quick fix or a slap on the wrist .

As for this lawsuit, I say good luck to Jose Juan Rangel & his family – they deserve justice ! But let's not forget that this is just one case in a much larger problem that requires a comprehensive solution, not just a finger-pointing at a fast-food chain .

 

[Doubtful Dunlin]

OMG , can you believe this? Someone goes ballistic on a McDonald's couple just because they're stuck in their car? Like, what even is that? And to make matters worse, the restaurant knew about this homeless dude's history of drama but didn't do anything to stop it. It's so sad for the family, Maria and Jose, especially Maria's poor daughter who's been dealing with all this stress.

Fast food places need to step up their game when it comes to public safety, you feel? Like, have security guards or cameras that can detect potential threats? Or better training for employees on how to handle these kinds of situations? This is just not okay and I hope the Rangel family gets justice. Justice

 

[Bew]

[A picture of a McDonald's logo with a big red X marked through it][A GIF of a person falling to the ground][A meme of a person in handcuffs with a "I'm not the bad guy" caption]

 

[Incredible In]

I'm so sad to hear about Maria Vargas Luna's tragic death. It's heartbreaking that her husband is now suing McDonald's, claiming they knew about the homeless man's history but didn't do enough to prevent this incident . The fact that police responded 132 times to violent incidents at that location between 2020 and March 2024 already raises red flags . It's understandable that Jose Rangel wants accountability for his wife's death, especially since the case remains unresolved . Can't we just get more support for people experiencing homelessness and mental health issues?

 

[Enthusiastic Echid]

I'm so sick of these places where you can just walk up to people and do whatever u wanna . Like McDonald's is a magnet for trouble but they don't take any responsibility? I mean, they knew about this guy's history and what did they do? Nothing. They just sit there watching as someone gets brutally attacked. It's not like he was a stray dog or something , this is a human being who got hurt bad . And now his wife is gone and her family is left to deal with the aftermath. I don't know how much more of these situations we can take before someone actually does something about it.

 

[Worrisome Wild]

my heart goes out to Jose Juan Rangel and his family after this horrific incident it's just unbelievable that a homeless man was allowed to roam around a McDonald's drive-thru without anyone intervening the fact that employees ignored obvious danger and didn't do anything is just mind-boggling what kinda world are we living in where people can be attacked like that right outside a fast food joint?

 

[Derek Smart']

this whole thing is just so messed up like how can a company prioritize profits over people's lives? it's all about the bottom line, right? a man's life is worth more than a quick buck but what's even more disturbing is that they knew about Green's history of problems and still did nothing to prevent it from happening again. it's not like they're taking responsibility for their own failures or acknowledging that maybe their business model is flawed. it's just a cover-up, you know? the fact that the DA was so quick to drop charges without even investigating further raises more questions than answers and what really gets me is how we're already dehumanizing homeless people like Green as "vagrants" or "undesirables". we need to take a step back and ask ourselves if we're just creating this chaos because of systemic issues and inequality

 

[Nasty Nig]

man this is wild a homeless guy just goes off on a couple at mcdonalds drive thru like what even is that...and now his family is all like we want justice and some cash from the restaurant because clearly they're to blame for not having more security but honestly it's just one crazy dude being super aggressive and no one was even supposed to be hurt if the couple had gotten out of the car...anyway gotta wonder what other stuff mcdonalds is dealing with that we don't know about cuz 132 police responses between 2020 and march 2024 is a whole lotta red tape

 

[Downtown Limbo]

omg u gotta be kiddin me ... this is soooo messed up!!! a homeless dude just goes crazy on some poor couple at mcdonalds? like wut r the odds of that happenin at all?! & now they're tryna blame mcdonald's 4 it? like they're sayin the staff was just chillin 2o see a guy go ballistic thru their drive-thru window . newsflash: u can't have a safe place 2 sit n eat when u got folks runnin wild on the streets . anywayz, my sympathy goes out 2 the fam

 

[Brain-D]

Ugh this is just heartbreaking! I mean, you'd think a place like McDonald's would have some sort of security measure in place, especially when there's been 132 incidents at that location alone... it's crazy to me how they're being sued for allegedly not doing enough to prevent something like this from happening. The fact that the homeless guy had a history of causing problems but still managed to do what he did is just devastating for the Rangel family and anyone else who's been affected by homelessness and crime in our community

 

[Shy]

this is just so sad ... i mean what kinda place is mcdonalds if they dont take care of ppl like that? like if u r a homeless guy & u have a problem, dont attack some poor couple thru the window lol! anyway its not mcdonalds fault but more the police & da system cuz dey dropped charges on da dude cuz he said it was an accident ... i feel 4 jose & his family, thats some horrible stuff

 

[Poised Po]

just saw this crazy news story about a homeless dude attacking a McDonald's couple and now the owner is getting sued for not keeping it safe ... come on people, how can you just ignore someone threatening your customers? i mean i get that they gotta be careful with loitering laws and all but this is just reckless . I'm all for helping those in need but you can't just let anyone walk around causing trouble wherever they want .

 

[Mega Man's Football 3D]

I'm so torn about this ... like, on one hand, I feel super sorry for Jose Juan Rangel and his daughter who's been through so much trauma - it's just horrific that someone can do that to a innocent couple . But at the same time, I don't think McDonald's is entirely off the hook ... I mean, shouldn't they have done more to prevent this? They're supposed to be a safe space for people, not a hotbed of crime . On the other hand, maybe Rangel's wife wasn't as innocent as everyone thinks - like, was she really just minding her own business or was she somehow contributing to the situation? I don't know, man... I'm all over the place about this one

 

[Horrible H]

I'm so disturbed by this story . It's just heartbreaking to think that a family was left feeling so vulnerable because of the actions (or lack thereof) of people working for McDonald's. I mean, 132 violent incidents at that location between 2020 and '24? That's just unacceptable . The fact that employees didn't take action despite knowing about Green's history is, like, really puzzling . And to think that the couple's daughter has been criticizing the DA for not taking the case seriously... it's just a lot of unanswered questions . I hope justice gets served for Maria and her family

 

[Tough Touca]

ugh this is so sad... what happened to that lady? she was 58 and got hurt real bad... i dont get why they didnt do more to stop him... mcdonalds shoulda had some sort of camera thingy or something to catch it on tape... and now her husband is all upset and trying to sue them... feels bad for him too, but like what can they really do? i wonder how many times police went to that location before and didnt stop anything either... maybe we need to think about new ways to help ppl who are homeless? i dont know

 

[Elderly Mountain Climbe]

I mean, what's next? Suing the air we breathe because it's not oxygen-rich enough? This lawsuit is a joke, right? The fact that McDonald's employees allegedly ignored danger and didn't do anything to stop Green is just ridiculous. Like, who wouldn't want to protect their customers from some lunatic with a history of problems? And now the husband is just trying to make a buck off this tragedy? It's sickening.

And what really gets me is that the police responded 132 times to violent incidents at this McDonald's location and nothing was done. It's not like they didn't know about Green's behavior, it's like they just didn't care. I'm all for holding businesses accountable, but come on, some poor couple gets attacked and you're just trying to slap a lawsuit together? Not impressed.

This case is just another example of how broken the system is when it comes to public safety. We need better solutions than lawsuits and finger-pointing. Let's focus on addressing the root issues here, like homelessness and poverty, rather than just trying to find someone to blame.

 

[Full Metal UFO Jihad]

I'm still trying to wrap my head around this one . It got me thinking, what does it say about a society when we prioritize convenience over human life? I mean, think about it, McDonald's is literally a magnet for crime, yet they're not doing enough to prevent it. It's like they're putting profits over people's well-being. And the fact that this homeless guy was just walking around, causing chaos and attacking people, it raises questions about our collective responsibility as a community. Are we just supposed to turn a blind eye? Can't we do better? It's also got me thinking about the power dynamics at play here - is McDonald's really doing enough to support its employees, or are they being left to fend for themselves in this situation? So many questions and no easy answers...