A college student in Atlanta was "terrified" she was going to be arrested for trying to do a good deed, after employees at a Popeyes restaurant called police when she tried to buy food for a homeless man.
Jo Ortega, a senior at Georgia State University, posted about the incident on TikTok in a video that has been viewed more than 5 million times.
Ortega told FOX 5 she was picking up a DoorDash order from the fast-food chain when she noticed a homeless man who looked hungry and offered to buy him some food.
The video starts with an employee closing the drive-thru window as Ortega explains that she wants to purchase a two piece dinner for the man, who is standing outside the passenger side of her car.
A worker who appears to be the manager then opened the window and said, "No ma'am, you can't do it."
When Ortega asked why she couldn't buy the man food, the employee responded, "Ma'am, you can't do it. I could care less about you recording me, baby," and then slammed the window.
In a follow-up video, a police cruiser is seen leaving the scene as Ortega explains that the employees called police on her.
"At that moment I was terrified, I thought I was gonna get arrested," she told FOX 5. "Maybe I should just call my family, and I might not be coming home tonight."
Police confirmed to the news outlet that they responded to the restaurant on a report of a woman who wouldn't leave the drive-thru. But instead of putting Ortega in handcuffs, officers gave her a pat on the back.
"The officer pulled me to the side and said, 'I really thank you for doing that, thank you for buying him food. I appreciate that,'" she said.
In the end, Ortega said she was able to get ahold of the store's general manager, who let the man order food free of charge.
A spokesperson for Popeyes told FOX 5 in a statement that the company is aware of the incident and that employees will be reminded of its policy to treat everyone with dignity and respect.
"We have ensured all employees at this restaurant have been provided with retraining to help navigate a range of guest interactions, such as the situation highlighted in the video," the statement said.
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