Moment man points gun at terrified teenagers in South Wales McDonalds caught on camera - Jacob Jenkins jailed after 'extremely frightening' incident
Terrified teenagers enjoying a meal in McDonalds were confronted with a man brandishing a hand gun.
The terrifying moment a man brandished a gun at teenagers in McDonalds was caught on video. Staring at the youths in the fast food restaurant on May 2, Jacob Jenkins caught their attention as they noticed a stab-proof vest under his coat.
One of the group asked the 29-year-old if he was a police officer, to which he replied “marines” before showing them a pistol he was carrying. He was then seen continuing to casually eat his meal.
However, concerned for their safety, the group left the restaurant in Tonypandy, South Wales, before reporting the incident to the police. Having also left the restaurant, Jenkins was quickly stopped by an officer nearby.
Shockingly, Jenkins was then filmed once again pulling out the weapon and pointing it directly at the officer while shouting at him, before fleeing the scene.
At Cardiff Crown Court, Jenkins pleaded guilty to possessing an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence, possession of an imitation firearm in a public place, and two counts of possession of a bladed article in public.
The court heard that additional officers also responding to the incident, soon found Jenkins leaving a nearby construction site having removed his coat. He was arrested and a thorough search of the site by a police dog and its handler quickly recovered the coat along with two guns.
These had been well-hidden under pallets, and which were found to be gas-powered ball-bearing (BB) guns. A further search of the address where Jenkins had been staying also recovered another stab-vest and a tub of BB pellets.
On Monday (August 4) he was sentenced to four years and one month in prison, with an extended period of three years.
Speaking after the case, Detective Constable Sarah Griffiths said: “This incident was extremely frightening for everyone involved – from the youths who should have felt safe while enjoying their meal to the officer who was faced with a gun from just metres away.
“It demonstrates clearly how even weapons perceived by some to be harmless, such as BB guns, can be extremely dangerous in the hands of the wrong people. As shown here, they can be used to deliberately cause fear, or to carry out serious offences.
“As part of our In The Wrong Hands campaign, we urge our communities to work with us to ensure weapons such as this don’t fall into the hands of the wrong people, and I cannot commend the young witnesses in this case enough. Their quick-thinking ensured we were able to seize the weapons and bring Jenkins before the courts.
“I’m pleased Jenkins has been handed a custodial sentence and hope this brings some reassurance and comfort to those involved in the incident and the wider community.”