Toxic Taco: Man Allegedly Ingests Rat Poison at Taco Bell in Colorado

Everyone likes their food a specific way, but poison is never on the menu. A customer at a Taco Bell in Colorado got sick after eating a burrito, allegedly laced with rat poison, at a local Taco Bell last Sunday.

Arapaho County Sheriff’s Department was called to the fast food restaurant in Aurora around 1 p.m. regarding a customer disturbance. Officials told CBS News the customer got into an argument with employees about his order and a soda machine malfunction. Taco Bell manager, Lary Swift, said the customer ordered three bean and cheese burritos and received a fourth one for free, and went home.

A few hours later, Deputy John Bartmann said a local hospital contacted the sheriff’s department saying they had a patient who had possibly consumed rat poison after eating the food he ordered, becoming violently ill.

Swift told CBS News that police came back accusing his employees of poisoning someone. “We didn’t do anything like that. It didn’t even add up. It’s ridiculous,” Swift said. Authorities claimed they saw a greenish-gray substance inside some of the food, but are not sure what it is just yet, according to The Huffington Post. The Taco Bell closed shortly after and is under investigation to see how this could have happened. All surveillance videos and other possible evidence had been collected by the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office investigators.

Bartmann said the hospital claimed enough rat poison was found in the burritos that it could have been very serious to the victim’s health.

An email from Taco Bell’s corporate communications department stated that the safety of their customers is a top priority. “The franchisee who owns and operates this location has informed us that they are working with local authorities in their investigation.” The sheriff’s department is looking at the crime as “criminal attempt homicide.”

Swift said the customer was a regular and this wasn’t the first time the employees have had an issue with him. He once threw a taco at an employee.