VIDEO: Ottawa McDonald’s Shutting Down After Police Called 800 Times

The Rideau Street McDonald’s restaurant in Ottawa, Canada, will shut down in April after becoming a hot spot for rowdy crowds.

According to the property owner, the franchise owner did not want to renew the lease, CTV News reported Wednesday, adding that the restaurant opened its doors in 1985:

The restaurant in the heart of Ottawa’s tourist district became a notorious spot for late night crowds after last call at bars and restaurants. The McDonald’s gained particular notoriety following the release of a video filmed in December 2013 showing a man pulling a baby raccoon out of his sweater while others were involved in a fight.

In 2019, then-Ottawa Police Chief Charles Bordeleau sent a letter to the President and CEO of McDonald’s Canada to raise concerns about “ongoing criminal activity and social disorder” at the Rideau Street location. McDonald’s then reduced its hours of operation to 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. following a meeting with police. It had been open for 24 hours a day.

When the restaurant reduced its hours, Bordeleau deemed it a “bold business decision. ”

“It’s an important step in the right direction, and I think it’s the right decision,” he told CTV News at the time.

Meanwhile, Ottawans reacted to news of the impending closure.

“The past three, four years of COVID, it’s just turned it into complete trash,” Hayley Gleiser told CBC.

“I was here about a week and a half ago,” explained Jack Graham. “And I just felt I was slipping, so I looked [at my shoe] and there’s a needle.”

Per the CTV report, law enforcement said they were called to the business over 150 times last year. However, that number was much lower than the 800 calls received in 2018, when the business decided to change its hours of operation.

For now, the Rideau Street location is open from 8:00 a.m. until 10:00 p.m. every day, but only offers takeout.

“McDonald’s will still have locations in downtown Ottawa on Elgin Street and on Bank Street,” the outlet said.

Breitbart News has extensively covered incidents that have occurred at McDonald’s restaurants across the United States.

In December, a man named Brandon Turner was shot and killed in Port John, Florida, after he allegedly attacked an armed driver who was in a McDonald’s parking lot eating his meal.