A Taco Bell employee was arrested Monday after she and her coworkers set off fireworks inside the Nashville restaurant where they worked.
“According to the surveillance footage, the employees can be seen locking the doors to the dining room to keep customers from entering the business,” the Nashville Fire Department said in a statement according to ABC News. “The video then shows the employees running around the inside of the store with fireworks in their hands.”
Footage shows the employees moving from the dining room into the men’s bathroom, before dropping the lit fireworks in a trashcan. They then ran out the door of the restaurant with their phones in order to film the stunt, ABC reported. As the trash can began to smoke, the employees attempted to get back into the restaurant to contain the fire but realized they had locked themselves out.
Immediately, they dialed 911 and authorities arrived at the scene to extinguish the flames.
The stunt-turned-disaster resulted in over $30,000 worth of damage.
Taco Bell Employee Arrested for Arson Inside Restaurant https://t.co/s2zzYaAuqy pic.twitter.com/W1uez7zs1n
— Nashville Fire Dept (@NashvilleFD) July 12, 2021
While the incident took place on July 5, the investigation heated up July 8 when the restaurant’s management turned over the surveillance footage of their employees playing with the explosives in the establishment to local investigators.
Courtney Mayes, 25, was arrested with felony aggravated arson charges Monday. She was booked into the Davidson County Jail in Nashville, Tn. on a $5,000 bond. (RELATED: Woman Gets Arrested After Getting Into A Fight With McDonald’s Employees In Crazy Viral Video)
“Arson is one of the costliest human-made disasters,” the fire department said in the statement, per ABC News. “Arson indirectly contributes to increased insurance premiums, higher medical costs, lost jobs, lost income, and the increased costs of fire services.”
The investigation into the incident is ongoing, and officials say more arrests are expected in the coming days.