The Popeyes hysteria is not over. Police in Maryland say a Popeyes customer was stabbed to death over the coveted spicy chicken sandwiches.
The fatal incident occurred after Popeyes announced the return of the popular sandwiches to franchise stores. The chicken sandwiches were pulled after a series of violent assaults in Popeyes fast food restaurants earlier this year.
Prince George’s County Police responded to a report of a fight at a Popeyes location in the 6200 block of Livingston Road in Oxon Hill on Monday at around 7 p.m.
According to Fox5 DC, a fight ensued when one man objected to another man cutting the long line. The scuffle spilled outside where one man stabbed a 28-year-old man.
“We have been able to determine, preliminarily, that this is related to the release of the sandwich here at this restaurant,” said PGPD Director of Media Relations Jennifer Donelan in a statement to CBS affiliate WJZ 13 News.
The victim was transported to a hospital where he was reported dead about an hour after the fight. Police are searching for the suspect.
The Popeyes chicken sandwich hysteria was born on social media when rivals Popeyes and Chick-fil-A launched a meme war touting their products.
But Popeyes was heavily criticized for targeting Black people in poor communities with their high calorie, high fat, high sodium chicken products.
Instagram influencers and bloggers promoted the sandwiches which quickly sold out everywhere.
Customers accused the fast food chain of deliberately running out of the sandwiches to prevent a certain demographic from ruining the dining experience of their regular customers.
