An Oklahoma man accused of repeatedly swiping snacks from a Tulsa convenience store reportedly made a rather ambitious upgrade early Tuesday morning: the security guard’s car.
Minutes later, police say the stolen car had crashed, and the driver was running toward McDonald’s.
He made it tantalizingly close to breakfast service, but officers got there first. Tulsa Police identified the man as 27-year-old Donovan Anderson, who was arrested on complaints of automobile larceny and hit-and-run, with bail totaling $10,000.
An earlier encounter with Tulsa Police was considerably less whimsical.
It Started With Missing Snacks
According to the Tulsa Police Department, officers were called to a convenience store near 15th Street and Denver Avenue around 4:30 a.m. on Aug. 18 after reports that a man had repeatedly stolen food from the business.
When officers arrived, a security guard told them the same man accused of taking the snacks had just stolen his car. Surveillance video showed the car leaving shortly before officers arrived, according to police.
A few minutes later, another call came in. Police said the stolen car had collided with a Lexus SUV near 15th Street and Madison Avenue. No one in the Lexus was injured.
Anderson reportedly left the crash behind and ran a few blocks to McDonald’s.
His timing was exquisite, if unsuccessful.
“McDonald’s was only a few minutes away from serving breakfast, but Officers did not allow Anderson to indulge in any McMuffins or McGriddles,” Tulsa Police wrote.
Officers took him into custody and, in the department’s words, took him to “McJail.”
Tulsa County records list bail at $5,000 for hit-and-run and another $5,000 for larceny of an automobile.
Those records spell Anderson’s first name “Donovon,” while Tulsa Police uses “Donovan.” Older Tulsa County court records list Donovan Anderson and Donovon Anderson as alternate spellings for the same defendant, explaining the discrepancy.
A Previous Encounter With Tulsa Police
Three years earlier, Anderson’s name appeared in a very different Tulsa Police post.
In August 2023, officers responded to multiple reports of an elderly woman being attacked near 21st Street and Sheridan Road. Tulsa Police said a lieutenant found the 71-year-old woman with severe injuries to her face, head, and body. She had shoe-tread marks on her face and was unable to speak while witnesses attempted to help her.
Witnesses told police they had seen Anderson punching, kicking, and stomping the woman. Officers found him a few blocks away.
Police said Anderson told officers the woman had said something he did not like. Investigators believed she had gotten off a bus and was walking home when the encounter occurred.
The criminal case would remain pending for nearly two years, much of that time involving proceedings over Anderson’s competency to stand trial.
Court records show Anderson’s competency became an issue early in the case. In November 2023, a judge found him incompetent but capable of regaining competency, beginning a lengthy period of treatment and restoration proceedings through the Oklahoma Forensic Center.
A June 2025 report found Anderson’s competency had been restored.
On July 30, 2025, Anderson pleaded guilty to assault and battery with force likely to produce death. In his signed plea, he admitted stomping on the woman’s face while she was on the ground.
Judge Greg Lavender sentenced Anderson to five years, with three years to be served in Department of Corrections custody and the remaining two years suspended. He received credit for time spent in custody dating back to his August 2023 arrest.
By Aug. 18, 2026, Anderson was back in Tulsa County custody following the new arrest.
All parties are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.