Man crashed into McDonald’s, chased terrified woman with knife

On March 25, 2021, in Sydney, Australia, an incident occurred at a local McDonald's restaurant that left the community in shock and the police on high alert. The incident involved a man named Abbas Hayder Al-Khafaji, who allegedly crashed his car into the building and then proceeded to chase a terrified woman with a knife.

According to reports from the New South Wales Police and eyewitnesses, Al-Khafaji drove his car through the front entrance of the McDonald's restaurant located on George Street in Parramatta around 11:30 am. The impact of the collision caused significant damage to the entrance and interior of the restaurant.

After crashing his car, Al-Khafaji reportedly exited the vehicle and entered the restaurant armed with a large kitchen knife. Witnesses described seeing him chase a woman, who was identified as an employee of the restaurant, into a corner where she was trapped. The woman, in fear for her life, grabbed a broom and used it to defend herself against the attacker.

The incident caused panic among other patrons and employees in the restaurant, who quickly evacuated the premises and called for help. The police were alerted to the situation and arrived at the scene within minutes. Officers managed to apprehend Al-Khafaji without further incident and secured the knife he had been wielding.

Al-Khafaji, who is in his 50s, was taken into custody and charged with several offenses including dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm, threaten to kill, and malicious damage. He was also tested for drugs and alcohol but reportedly showed no signs of either substance in his system.

The woman who was chased by Al-Khafaji was treated for shock at the scene and later released from the hospital. The damage caused to the restaurant was estimated to be in the tens of thousands of dollars.

The incident sparked an outpouring of support for the brave actions of the woman who defended herself against the attacker and for the quick response of the police in apprehending him before anyone was seriously injured or killed. The investigation into the incident is ongoing and further details are expected to be released in due course.