Moment knifeman brandishes huge machete in busy McDonald’s before being arrested by taser-wielding cops

Terrifying footage shows the moment a knifeman brandished a huge machete in a busy McDonald’s restaurant before being tasered by police.

Officers swooped at the packed fast food branch in Birmingham city centre on Saturday night after being alerted by shocked diners.

Video footage obtained by the Birmz Is Grime blog shows a hooded male wielding a massive 12 inch blade near to the food counter.

One onlooker can be heard saying ‘yo yo yo, he’s got the shank on’ moments before the suspect is tasered by a police officer standing near the doorway.

Four officers then rush in to arrest the man as he is lying on the ground while witnesses can be heard screaming in the background.

The McDonald’s on ‘the ramp’ is one of the busiest in the city centre and sits yards from Birmingham’s Grand Central shopping centre and New Street train station.

West Midlands Police said a 17-year-old youth was charged with possession of a knife after being arrested in the early hours of Sunday.

A spokesman from the force said: ‘We have charged a teenager with possession of a knife after we were called to McDonald’s in Birmingham city centre at around 4.40am yesterday (July 23).

‘A 17-year-old boy who cannot be named for legal reasons, was arrested within minutes of the call being made and three knives were recovered.

Video footage obtained by the Birmz Is Grime blog shows a hooded male wielding a massive 12 inch blade near to the food counter

The McDonald’s on ‘the ramp’ is one of the busiest in the city centre and sits yards from Birmingham’s Grand Central shopping centre and New Street train station

‘Fortunately, nobody was injured, but staff at the restaurant were left shaken by the incident.’

The force claimed the suspect was not tasered during the incident and was only ‘red-dotted’ despite footage showing him collapsing to the floor.

The spokesman added: ‘The teenager was not tasered but he was red dotted to ensure the safety of others.

‘He was remanded to appear before Birmingham Magistrates Court this morning (Mon).’

A McDonald’s spokesman said: ‘We are aware of an incident that took place at our Birmingham New Street restaurant in the early hours of Sunday morning.

‘Our restaurant team called the Police who arrived swiftly, we will continue to work with Police on any investigations into the incident.’