NEW YORK — Three NYPD officers were taken to the hospital after dining at a Shake Shack Monday night, police said.
Shock and outrage spread on Twitter Police Benevolent Association tweeted a claim that the officers found a cleaning substance in their milkshakes.
#BREAKING When NYC police officers cannot even take meal without coming under attack, it is clear that environment in which we work has deteriorated to a critical level. We cannot afford to let our guard down for even a moment. pic.twitter.com/fbMMDOKqbV
— NYC PBA (@NYCPBA) June 16, 2020
Shake Shack later said in a statement that they were "horrified" by the reports of the officers getting sickened, and that they were working with police in their investigation.
We are horrified by the reports of police officers injured at our 200 Broadway Shack in Manhattan. We are working with the police in their investigation right now.
— SHAKE SHACK (@shakeshack) June 16, 2020
Chief of Detectives Rodney Harrison tweeted that after a thorough investigation, the NYPD found no criminality by Shake Shack’s employees.
After a thorough investigation by the NYPD’s Manhattan South investigators, it has been determined that there was no criminality by shake shack’s employees.
— Chief Rodney Harrison (@NYPDDetectives) June 16, 2020
All the officers were taken to the hospital and released a short time later, officials said.
According to police sources, it appears a machine at the burger chain was improperly cleaned, resulting in residue from a cleaning agent or bleach still inside when it was used to make beverages.