McDonald's Fires Employee Who Filmed Brutal Beating Of Baltimore Patron

The McDonald’s employee who stood by and videotaped the beating of a patron at a Maryland restaurant has been fired, according to a statement released this afternoon by the franchise owner.

Vernon Hackett, 22, was canned in the face of a torrent of publicity about the brutal April 18 attack, which Hackett filmed on a cell phone and uploaded to his YouTube channel. The video has prompted widespread criticism of McDonald’s workers who did little to help the victim, Chrissy Lee Polis, a 22-year-old transgendered woman.

Mitchell McPherson, owner of the suburban Baltimore McDonald’s where the beating occurred, said today that, “the crew member who made the video is no longer employed with my organization.” He added, “Appropriate action regarding other employees will take place as warranted.”

As seen below, in Facebook messages yesterday, Hackett, pictured above, acknowledged filming the assault, denied the victim was transgendered, and claimed he had “No Hate For Anybody…No Matter Tha Gender/Race Or Sexual Preference.”

A 14-year-old girl has been charged as a juvenile in connection with the assault, while criminal charges are pending against an 18-year-old woman. Hackett--who has deleted his Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube accounts--has not replied to several TSG messages.