A 17-year-old boy was shot in a Batavia Steak ‘n Shake drive-through Tuesday by someone apparently unhappy with how long the teen took to order his food, police said Wednesday.
“The shooting appears to begin over the length of time it took the victim’s vehicle to place a drive-through order and escalated from there,” Batavia Police Chief Daniel Eul said in an email.
Eul said he could not give an update on the condition of the teen, who is from the DuPage County area.
A local hospital notified Batavia police when he came in to be treated for a gunshot wound about 6:25 p.m. Tuesday, Eul said in an initial news release.
The teen said he was shot in the restaurant drive-through at 1901 McKee St. after people inside his car argued with one or more people in a red sedan, according to police.
Police don’t think the parties knew each other before the sedan ended up behind the teen’s vehicle in the drive-through lane, Eul said. Both vehicles may have had passengers inside, he said.
“We believe the red sedan entered the drive-through lane behind the victim’s vehicle to place a food order prior to the altercation,” Eul said.
The person in the red sedan fired numerous shots, hitting the teen once, Eul said.
While trying to get away, the gunman’s car hit another vehicle parked in the lot, likely damaging the front passenger bumper and fender, Eul said.
Police have not made any arrests, Eul said Wednesday afternoon. He said police are researching whether the shooting or any part of the incident was captured on video.
A woman who answered the phone at Steak ‘n Shake Wednesday and identified herself as a general manager said they were not allowed to talk about what happened.
Elyssa Cherney of the Chicago Tribune contributed to this article.
