An Ivy League graduate suspected of executing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City was pelted with nasty trolls and even threatened a McDonald's employee who helped capture the fugitive.
On Monday, anti-capitalist Luigi Mangione was munching on corporate fast food at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania, when an eagle-eyed employee recognized him from surveillance footage of the assassination suspect. The internet went crazy.
“To all the stupid men who pissed off my baby Luigi Mangione…you will be dealt with,” wrote another, along with a violent “Family Guy” GIF of a character shooting someone in the head. It was written with.
Following the arrest, users rallied to boycott the fast food chain.
“In solidarity, we are boycotting all McDonald's in the area,” one user posted on an Altoona Reddit page. “I encourage you to consider doing the same.”
Thompson was shot to death from a hotel on Wednesday, and his gunman has not been seen since.
But Mangione, a University of Pennsylvania graduate with six-pack abs, had supporters despite his ruthless crimes amid criticism of the health insurance industry.
“The investigation was closed when the authorities declared 'too hot to convict,'” User X wrote.
Other supporters allegedly set up GoFundMe accounts to raise money for Mangione's legal costs, but the site has removed those pages.
Reddit also appears to be curbing its support for the alleged assassin. The site was banned hours after the r/LuigiMangione community was created, but not before the page gained hundreds of subscribers.
Meanwhile, netizens attacked tipsters who called the police as “snitches” and “rats,” and some users publicly threatened anonymous employees.
McDonald's itself features prominently in memes and jokes.
“Brother, the McRib is back and it's what brought him down. No one can resist the return of the McRib,” one user quipped on Mangione's Reddit page before it was banned.
