McDonald's Hostage Situation: All Suspects in Custody, Lakeland Police Say

LAKELAND, FL — A Saturday morning carjacking in Hillsborough County led to a hostage situation at a McDonald’s in Lakeland. That hostage situation came to an end hours later, just before 3 p.m.

According to the Lakeland Police Department, all suspects were in custody shortly before 3 p.m. with no injuries reported.

The incident began Saturday morning in Hillsborough County on Landora Drive, according to several media outlets. A little later, the vehicle, a Dodge Charger, was spotted on Interstate 4 heading into Polk County. The vehicle crashed near Frontage Road and I-4, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, and its occupants got out and went to the McDonald's at 5325 S. Frontage Road.

One of the occupants of the vehicle began going up to cars in the McDonald's drive-through attempting another carjacking, Sheriff David Gee said in a Saturday afternoon media conference. A would-be victim displayed a gun and the man instead climbed through the drive-through window, Gee said. Other occupants from the suspect vehicle also went inside.

Deputies said shortly after noon that most of the employees were safely out of the building. One of the suspects, who hasn't been named, also came out and surrendered. The hostage situation, however, remained active for hours. The sheriff's office said a possible victim inside the McDonald's had been reaching out to relatives via social media, but the claim turned out to be false.

"He took an opportunity on social media," Gee said. "He had nothing to do with it."

The person who made the false hostage claim has since been taken into custody, along with the suspects, Gee said. The false claim delayed efforts to bring the suspects into custody, Gee added.

"He took some time today and put officers' lives in danger," Gee said. It is unclear what charges that person might be facing.

As for the two suspects who hid in the McDonald's, Gee said they were found in the building's ceiling. A gun was also found at the scene.

The incident forced the closing of both the east and westbound ramps to County Line Road.

Gee said the suspects, who have not yet been identified, were being taken back to the Lakeland Police Department Saturday afternoon. They face a variety of charges, including armed robbery and kidnapping.

No further information is available at this time.

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