Colorado authorities do not believe Taco Bell employees added rat poison to a customer's meal.
The Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office released a statement Friday in response to a customer's claim that he was poisoned after eating food from the restaurant.
Deputies said they initially responded to a report of a disturbance at the Taco Bell in Aurora on Jan. 15. The customer had apparently complained after he ordered food and a drink and was told that the soda machine was not working. The customer reportedly wanted the employees to give him a burrito in place of the drink. Initially, they told them they couldn't do that, but deputies said they eventually gave him a burrito.
The deputies left the scene after determining no criminal activity occurred.
Several hours later, deputies were called to a hospital where a patient told staff that he ate food with rat poison in it. The deputies determined it was the same person who got into a dispute with the Taco Bell employees.
The man told deputies he immediately felt a burning sensation in his mouth and began to vomit after eating one of the tacos from Taco Bell.
Deputies said they discovered a "greenish-gray" substance in the taco the man bit into. A lab test confirmed it was rat poison, the sheriff's office said.
The Taco Bell was immediately shut down and investigated. The sheriff's office said the restaurant turned over all of its videos from inside the building.
"Over the last several days, investigators have been going through the Taco Bell video and found no evidence that the employees were responsible for placing the rat poison in the food given to the customer," the sheriff's office said in a statement.
The sheriff's office says they can't account for how the rat poison got into the food.
Investigators have been trying to contact the customer, but they report that he is not answering his phone or door.
They are asking for the customer or anyone else with knowledge about the incident to provide them with information. The case will remain open for the time being, the sheriff's office said.
