Santa Maria community comes together after Popeyes employee calls police on child with autism

SANTA MARIA, Calif. – The Santa Maria community gathered at a local Popeyes restaurant on Wednesday for a peaceful protest in solidarity with a five-year-old boy with autism after a video went viral of a Popeyes employee calling the police to report the child and his parents.

On Sunday, the boy's family explained they visited the local Santa Maria Popeyes on Betteravia, and the excited child was repeatedly saying "Popeyes, Popeyes" when the manager taking the order told parents he was being too loud for her to hear the order.

After the parents asked to speak to higher up manager, the employee escalated to call the Santa Maria Police Department. The parents then also called the police and both parties made a statement.

A TikTok of the incident, posted by @MamaMcCrazy on Monday, has reached over 4.6 million views as of Wednesday. Instagram influencer @thatdaneshguy who has over 194 thousand followers also posted the video to support the family and help identify the employee.

Thanks to the support from Danesh, Pro Football Hall of Fame player, Warren Carlos Sapp reached out to send a signed football to the five-year-old boy.

A local non-profit, Children's Resource and Referral of Santa Barbara County, which helps families and foster care youth in need also reached out to the family for support.

CEO Michelle Lee Graham and COO Jaqui Banta prepared a peaceful protest at noon on Wednesday.

Banta said she did not want to bring hostility to the restaurant but raise positive awareness about autism. She says children with autism and their families are welcome anywhere in the community.

"Parents of children with autism know that feeling all too well. That gut-wrenching moment when your child is simply being themselves - stimming, making noises - and strangers respond with hostility. The disapproving stares, the demands to control your child, the assumption that you're a bad parent. In those agonizing moments, the isolation weighs heavy. Feelings of being judged and misunderstood, of having your child rejected for who they are, cut deep for any autism parent," said Banta.

We have reached out to Popeyes for comment, but have not heard back.