French special forces thwart armed robbery while eating at McDonald's

An employee at a McDonald's restaurant serves lunches to customers in Strasbourg, France. (Reuters)

Two robbery suspects allegedly burst into a McDonald's in eastern France and definitely got served.

Investigators said the men fired a shotgun in the air Sunday night at the fast food restaurant in Besancon, threatening guests and ordering the staff to open a register that contained $2,300 in cash, The Telegraph reports.

Little did the suspects know – among the 40 customers eating their burgers and fries were 11 off-duty members of France’s paramilitary special forces who decided to take a break in their meal to save the day.

“During the hold-up, the gendarmes didn’t do anything,” local prosecutor Edwige Roux-Morizot said, using the French term for an armed police officer. “It was out of the question to use their weapons, as this would have created difficulties and could have placed many people’s lives in danger.”

When one of the suspects tripped on the way out, the officers pounced. The other man ignored orders to drop his weapon, and police shot him in the stomach as he tried to run away, The Telegraph reported.

Both suspects are from the area and are in their early 20s. Doctors treated them at a nearby hospital.

They will appear before a judge to face charges of armed robbery and violence, Roux-Morizot said.

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