The man known as the "Facebook killer" may have been taken down by a group of McDonald's employees in Erie, Pennsylvania, authorities said Tuesday.
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Police tracked down the 'Facebook killer' after McDonald's employees held up his french fry order
A McDonald's employee recognized Stephens as the "Facebook killer," and workers held up his order while calling the police.
The McDonald's on Buffalo Road in Erie, Pennsylvania.
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Steve Stephens posted a video of himself shooting and killing a man on Facebook on Sunday. Police said he died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head on Tuesday afternoon after a brief pursuit by Pennsylvania state police.
Before the car chase, however, Stephens stopped at a McDonald's drive-thru and ordered 20 Chicken McNuggets and large fries for $5.35, the restaurant's manager, Henry Sayers, told The New York Times.
A female employee recognized Stephens when he came up to the window, then she confirmed with other workers that it was him, according to police and Tom DuCharme, who owns that McDonald's franchise.
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The employee took Stephens' money and waited for him to drive up to the next window before calling the police, DuCharme said. Although workers tried to stall Stephens by giving him his chicken nuggets but holding up his order of fries, he didn't wait.
"He just took his nuggets and said, 'I have to go,' and he drove off," Sayers told The Times. He said Stephens didn't speed away from the restaurant but drove at a normal speed.
A McDonald's spokesman said in a statement to Business Insider: "We applaud the crew members at this McDonald’s restaurant who recognized the suspect and did the right thing by quickly alerting the authorities of his location. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victim’s loved ones and all of those impacted by this horrific crime."
By the time Stephens left the restaurant and turned onto Buffalo Road, where police say he ultimately killed himself, police were right behind him, DuCharme said.
When police tracked down Stephens' car, they pursued him while trying to get him to pull over. Law-enforcement officials said the chase did not go over 50 mph.
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A state trooper eventually forced Stephens to stop by using what police call the PIT maneuver, in which a pursuing car can force a fleeing vehicle to suddenly turn, causing the driver to lose control and stop.
As officers approached his car, Stephens shot himself, Pennsylvania state police said on Tuesday on Twitter and at a news conference.
Stephens had been on the run from law enforcement since Sunday, when he posted several disturbing videos on Facebook, including one of him shooting and killing 74-year-old Robert Godwin after Godwin left an Easter meal with his family.
Facebook took down the video, as well as others he posted, and disabled his account within a few hours.
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