Google has been forced to take down a deluge of derogatory reviews targeting the McDonald’s branch where New York City shooting suspect Luigi Mangione was arrested.
Mangione, 26, was apprehended at the fast food chain’s restaurant in Altoona, Pennsylvania, Monday after a five-day manhunt.
He has now been charged with the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, 50, who was shot dead outside a hotel in Midtown Manhattan on December 4 by a masked assailant who was lying in wait for him.
The suspect then fled the scene, sparking a days-long manhunt before Mangione was spotted eating at a table in the McDonald’s.
According to police, a customer recognized Mangione from photos of the attacker circulated by the NYPD and reported their suspicions to a staff member, who then called in the tip.
But following the suspect’s arrest, the McDonald’s branch was targeted by “review bombing.”
“This location has rats in the kitchen that will make you sick and your insurance isn’t going to cover it,” one spoof restaurant reviewer wrote in response, alluding to a famous Mafia slur.
“Do not stop here if you are an American Hero. They will sell you out,” another person wrote.
Others likewise derided the venue as a haven for “snitches.”
Google said in a statement that it was taking down the reviews, saying they “violate our policies and have been removed.”
Google’s policy dictates that all review contributions “should reflect a genuine experience at a place or business” and that “content that has been posted from multiple accounts to manipulate a place’s rating” will be removed.
Yelp was also hit with a similar influx of negative reviews for the fast food branch while X was overrun with memes comparing the situation to a plotline from HBO’s hit mob drama The Sopranos.
Thompson’s murder led to an outpouring on social media from Americans criticizing the healthcare industry for denying health insurance claims or hitting them with unexpected costs or premiums – all trends that are rising, according to recent data. To some social media users, the killer was even hailed as a folk hero.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro on Monday slammed such reaction and denounced “vigilante justice.”
“In America, we do not kill people in cold blood to resolve policy differences or express a viewpoint,” he said.
“In some dark corners, this killer is being hailed as a hero. Hear me on this: he is no hero.”
Mangione may have been motivated by resentment sparked by his recent experiences undergoing back surgery, given that he was found with a handwritten manifesto in which he slammed the healthcare system, according to police.
Another Pennsylvania McDonald’s was review bombed in October after Donald Trump donned an apron to work the fryer and serve carefully-selected customers through its drive-thru window as part of a campaign publicity stunt.
“Senile old man got bronzer on my fries, didn’t wear gloves,” one person joked, leaving a one-star rating as part of a trend that forced Yelp to temporarily disable its review function for the restaurant.
“The fries were too salty as if someone who lost a major election had been crying over them for an hour,” another person jested before that could happen.
