Gun Charge For Man Who Threatened Burger King Staff: Police

EVANSTON, IL — A man accused of pulling a gun on a Burger King employee who asked him not to use the women's bathroom was ordered held without bail last month.

Yonatan Wondimu, 38, of the 7600 block of North Eastlake Terrace, Chicago, was charged with aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, a felony, disorderly conduct and driving with a suspended license, both misdemeanors, according to police.

Around 1:30 a.m. on June 28, a 33-year-old Chicago man working at the Burger King, 1740 Orrington Ave., called 911 to report a man had just brandished a handgun and threatened him.

The staffer told officers that the gunman had threatened him after he told him not to go into the women's room at the fast food restaurant. It did not appear the armed man, later identified as Wondimu, ever made it into the restroom, according to Cmdr. Ryan Glew.

The gunman took off running as the employee called 911, he told police. The employee gave officers a description of the man and his car, as well as the direction he was fleeing, police said.

Officers pulled over Wondimu a short time later in a blue 2012 Toyota at Chicago Avenue and Davis Street, based on the description from the Burger King employee, according to Glew.

Police said they learned Wondimu's driver's license had been suspended and found a loaded 9mm Ruger pistol in the car.

The man was a legal gun owner. Police said he had a firearm owners identification card, allowing him to purchase and possess guns in certain circumstances, but not a concealed carry permit, which would have allowed him to have his weapon in public.

Wondimu has been ordered held without bail at Cook County Jail ahead of his next court appearance on July 23, according to the Cook County Sheriff's Office.