Cops Served Glass In Burgers

Two sheriff's deputies were hospitalized after eating broken glass mixed in with the onions on their McDonald's cheeseburgers.

Stuart O'Shannon and Daniel Witt stopped at the restaurant Thursday for their evening meal break, said Lt. Rod Reder, a spokesman for the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Department. Both men were in uniform.

The Tampa Tribune reported that O'Shannon choked and then spit up blood after taking a couple of bites from his cheeseburger. The two officers then checked the burgers and found chunks of glass mixed in with the onions and cheese. The chunks of glass were very similar in size and appearance to the onions, police said.

O'Shannon, 32, was airlifted to a hospital, where he was diagnosed with internal injuries that were not life-threatening.

Witt, 24, who had already eaten a burger when O'Shannon began spitting up blood, was treated at the scene but later admitted to a hospital for a more thorough examination. Witt was later discharged.

Authorities closed the restaurant and detained 17 employees for questioning, Reder said. No arrests were made and the investigation was continuing.

The Tribune reported that the two officers were the only customers in the restaurant at the time of the incident. Three employees who worked closely with the food were questioned by detectives but were not being treated as suspects, the newspaper said.

McDonald's is cooperating with the investigation, said company spokesman Bill Whitman.

"Obviously, we're taking this situation very seriously," he said. "Our customers and the safety of our restaurants, food safety in particular, is of the utmost importance to us."