Man threatened Wendy’s manager at gunpoint over incorrect order, Bluffton police allege
A 70-year-old man who was angry about an incorrect Wendy’s order allegedly returned to the Bluffton restaurant and threatened the manager at gunpoint, according to police.
Jorge Leon, of Ridgeland, was charged early Friday morning with first-degree assault and battery, inmate records show. The felony offense is punishable by up to 10 years in prison under South Carolina law.
Employees at the New Riverside Wendy’s location on Evan Way told police a woman had called Thursday evening to complain about her pecan salad not coming with pecans. Her husband, later identified as Leon, allegedly made “multiple calls” a few hours later, angrily saying the problem wasn’t fixed, according to a case file from the Bluffton Police Department.
The manager told police he eventually hung up on Leon. But a few hours later at around 9 p.m., the report said, the 70-year-old allegedly returned to the restaurant, “stormed up to the counter and started screaming,” banging his hands on the counter and asking who had hung up on him.
When the manager said it was him who hung up, he and Leon got into a “verbal altercation” before the 70-year-old allegedly said, “I got something for you,” according to witnesses. Leon allegedly walked outside to his car and returned with a 9mm pistol, the police report said.
The manager tried to stop Leon at the doorway, but the 70-year-old allegedly got through the first set of doors and “pinned (the manager) up against the wall” and held the handgun to his neck. Leon then said, “Give me a salad or I will blow your head off,” the manager alleged in a written statement. An employee told police that crew members “ran out to the back” and called 911.
Suspect unsatisfied with Wendy’s service, police said
Bluffton police arrived at the restaurant only to learn Leon had driven away on S.C. 170 (Okatie Highway) in the direction of Beaufort.
Police determined the suspect lived just over the Jasper County border. They asked neighboring deputies to help apprehend Leon before later arriving at his neighborhood off S.C. 170, where Jasper County police already had Leon detained in a patrol vehicle, the incident report claimed.
In an interview with police, Leon allegedly described the restaurant dispute “and his dissatisfaction with the services and professionalism of the Wendy’s employees,” a Bluffton officer wrote. Leon claimed he had left the firearm in his car and only confronted the manager with a holster, adding that he did not threaten to shoot the manager and that the manager had “put hands on him,” the incident report claimed Leon said.
Police collected Leon’s Smith & Wesson pistol from his vehicle, noting the firearm had a fully loaded magazine with a round in the chamber, the report said.
Alleged assault caught on security cameras
Bluffton PD’s report and Leon’s arrest warrant said the alleged assault was caught on security cameras and there were several eyewitnesses.
At a bond hearing on Friday, Leon was ordered to avoid all contact with the manager and to stay away from his workplace and home, according to a special conditions form.
Leon was released on a cash bond from the Beaufort County Detention Center on Thursday, according to the police report and an inmate roster. His bond amount was not immediately available through online court records.
Police responded to a similar incident at the same Wendy’s location in 2023 when an employee working the drive-thru said a driver had pointed a gun at him. All four people in the car were arrested, including three juveniles, according to previous reporting.
This story was originally published May 5, 2026 at 11:57 AM.
