Three police officers were hospitalized after drinking milkshakes contaminated with bleach at a New York City fast food restaurant.
The NYPD officers had been assigned to work at a Black Lives Matter protest in Manhattan on Monday, when they decided to stop at Shake Shack for a quick meal.
According to the NYPD union, the New York Patrolman’s Benevolent Association, the officers quickly realized “a toxic substance, believed to be bleach” had been added to their milkshakes.
The officers were rushed to a hospital for treatment, but weren’t seriously harmed.
Shake Shack, for its part, tweeted that it was “horrified” by the reports of the alleged poisoning, and promised they were “working hard to get the full picture.”
NYPD launched its own investigation into what happened, but found no criminal wrongdoing by any Shake Shack employees.
However, it’s still unclear exactly how the bleach got into the drinks–whether it was an intentional poisoning, or leftover cleaning chemicals that happened to be still in the milkshake machine.
But either way, it’s a clear sign that cops may not be safe amid historic anti-police sentiment, due to the protests surrounding the death of George Floyd.
“When NYC police officers cannot even take meal without coming under attack, it is clear that environment in which we work has deteriorated to a critical level,” wrote Patrick Lynch, president of the Patroman’s Benevolent Association.