The restaurant's management became aware of the incident—which reportedly took place last week—when they reviewed video surveillance of daily operations later in the week. Management then notified the Kern County Sheriff's Office.
In 2017, Hargrove was involved in a dispute with police after two officers mistook her for a suspect and took her into custody.
Hargrove sued the city of Bakersfield in federal court alleging excessive force and civil rights violations, seeking punitive and compensatory damages. In October, a jury found in favor of the city and the police officers.
The McDonald's franchise owner, Jim Abbate, said, "I want to ensure our customers and law enforcement that the behavior exhibited by the individual involved in this incident does not represent my values nor those of my McDonald’s business. When we found out about this disturbing incident, we quickly notified the police. We are cooperating with their investigation and want law enforcement to know they are always welcome at McDonald's."