Clash at Evanston McDonald's leads to Chicago woman's arrest

EVANSTON, Ill. - A heated argument at an Evanston McDonald's restaurant resulted in a Chicago woman's arrest and a string of charges. 

Kellie Edwards-Lawrence, 52, is charged with one misdemeanor count of aggravated assault, two felony counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and one felony count of obstruction of justice, according to officials. 

Her charges stem from an argument that occurred just after 8 a.m. Jan. 1 at a McDonald's in the 1100 block of Howard Street. 

Police say Edwards-Lawrence got into it with a man while they were both placing their orders. 

The argument escalated after Edwards-Lawrence threatened to shoot the man. He then pushed Edwards-Lawrence before going outside the restaurant, authorities say. 

The dispute continued in the parking lot after Edwards-Lawrence was joined by two other men who also threatened the victim, police say. 

The victim then pulled two knives and Edwards-Lawrence grabbed a loaded handgun from her Toyota, according to police.

Edwards-Lawrence again threatened to shoot the man, but at some point during the argument, the handgun was put back inside the vehicle before officers arrived. 

Police checked the Toyota and could see the weapon in plain view, so they sought a search warrant to retrieve it. 

The handgun and ammunition were eventually recovered by police after obtaining the warrant. 

Edwards-Lawrence and one of the two men were arrested – the second man got away before officers arrived. 

During questioning, Edwards-Lawrence had provided a fake name to hide her out-of-state arrest warrant, police say. 

She did not have a valid FOID card or Concealed Carry License at the time of the incident. 

Edwards-Lawrence is slated to appear in court on Jan. 24, 2024.