Body camera footage was obtained after an Atlanta sheriff called his deputies after a Burger King restaurant spoiled his order. Channel 2 Action News shows.
The incident in question occurred on March 14, 2023, but is only now coming to light. There are various angles of the episode recorded by each of the responding MPs. One of the videos shows a deputy approaching Cobb County Sheriff Craig Owens, Sr., who was sitting in the driver's seat of his pickup truck in the parking lot. Owens apparently summoned the lawmakers because he was hesitant to personally complain about his order as an elected official.
“Hey, do me a favor. All I need is to get the name of the person who owns this damn facility or the manager,” Owens tells the deputy, before explaining that the store's female friend was messing up her order. “I wanted it [passenger] Whopper, no mayonnaise, cut in half, right?”
When deputies approached the Burger King, they found employees had locked themselves inside. After the officers assured the employees that they were only there to resolve a food complaint and that no one had a legal problem, the doors were unbolted.
“You didn't tell him who I was, did you?” Owens asked the deputy when the sheriff returned to his truck. “No,” the officer replied. “I told him that was the man in the truck.”
Owens is up for re-election this year and the video was released by his opponent, David Cavender. Cavender's partner, Mike Dondelinger, called the incident an “abuse of power.” “I'm surprised the Sheriff was so flippant about this issue, having deputies turn on lights and sirens, putting citizens at risk and deputies at risk, just so he could get information from a business owner that could clearly be traced to another day,” Dondelinger said.
But Owens disputes allegations that he abused his authority. “I was not in uniform and at no point in my interaction with staff did I identify myself as a member of law enforcement,” he said. “At no point did I state my position or ask respondents to do anything they wouldn't, wouldn't, or wouldn't do for others calling for labor disputes.”
Still, Owens apologized for the horror his actions may have caused. “I have always worked to build trust and confidence in leadership,” he said. “To our citizens and residents, it is clear that I must work harder, and I promise to do so.”