4-year-old fires gun at Midvale McDonald’s following altercation

MIDVALE, Utah — A man has been taken into custody after police say shots were fired at a fast food restaurant in Midvale.

The incident occurred at a McDonald’s, located at 425 West and 7200 South, around 1:30 p.m. Monday.

Police said a man in the drive-thru became upset when employees got his order wrong. Employees told the man they would correct it, but he became agitated and brandished a firearm, according to police.

Officers with the Unified Police Department were then called out to the scene.

The individual was non-compliant, but eventually, police said they were able to get him out of the vehicle.

“Knowing that he might be armed, they pulled him out of the vehicle as quickly as they could,” said Salt Lake County Sheriff Rosie Rivera.

As the man was being taken into custody, an officer noticed a firearm coming out of the vehicle.

“He was able to deflect it, but the firearm did go off and went into the awning here at the McDonald’s,” Rivera said.

Police said a 4-year-old child, who was in the backseat of the vehicle with a 3-year-old sibling, pulled the trigger.

“I’ve never seen anything like this in my 28 years in law enforcement,” Rivera said.

Rivera elaborated her thoughts further in a press release issued Monday afternoon.

“This is a sad day for law enforcement and our community. To have an adult think it is okay to encourage a 4-year-old to pull a firearm and shoot at police illustrates how out of hand the campaign against police has gotten. This needs to stop and we need to come together as a community to find solutions to the challenges we face in our neighborhoods. Officers are here to protect and serve and we are beyond belief that something like this could happen.”

Fortunately, the officer who deflected the shot suffered only a minor injury in the scuffle.

“He’s a hero in my mind,” Rivera said. “He saved a life today.”

The driver was identified late Monday afternoon as 27-year-old Sadaat Johnson, of Salt Lake City. He was booked on suspicion of felony child abuse and threatening the use of a dangerous weapon.

Police say both of his children have been placed in DCFS custody.

UPDATE: Unified Police have identified the driver as 27-year-old Sadaat Johnson of Salt Lake City. He was booked on suspicion of felony child abuse and threatening the use of a dangerous weapon. Police say both kids in the car, including the one with the gun, are in DCFS custody. https://t.co/74XTO9OgPJ

— Andrew Adams (@AndrewAdamsKSL) February 22, 2022