A teenager faces a felony charge after he allegedly filled a McDonald's water cup with soda in Springdale, Arkansas, on Monday.
According to KHBS-TV, Cody Morris, 18, was charged with felony robbery after the manager of the McDonald's allegedly asked him to return the soda and he refused.
"The manager told police three people went through the drive-thru and asked for three large waters," KHBS-TV reported. "Those three parked, went into the restaurant, dumped out the water and then filled the cups with soda, the manager told police. The manager asked the three people to return the soda. Two of them did, but one did not, the manager told police."
The suspect reportedly hit the manager with a car as the manger stood behind the vehicle, trying to stop it from leaving. Morris was later arrested nearby, after police identified the vehicle at a bowling alley.
The Springdale Police Department explained in a Facebook post that the suspect was not charged with a felony for taking the soda, but for using force against the employee when he or she tried to stop them.
"The store employees had the authority to detain the alleged suspect under Arkansas statute 5-36-116," the Springdale Police said in a statement. "The decision to detain the alleged suspect was entirely up to the store employee. We never encourage anyone to put themselves in harm's way."
The incident echoed another case that made national headlines in 2012 when Mark Abaire, then 52, was charged with a felony for trying to steal soda without paying from a McDonald's in East Naples, Florida,
the Naples Daily News reported.
The newspaper reported that while Abaire's original charge was petty theft, previous similar convictions for drinking unpaid soda increased the charge from a misdemeanor to a felony.