McDonald’s apologized on Monday after being embroiled in a scandal in the UK over the weekend over a post that went viral on social media, British media reported, News.ro reported.

The controversy erupted after a video surfaced on the social network X, formerly Twitter, showing security guards at a McDonald’s restaurant in London dousing a young homeless man with water, soaking his belongings and kicking his sleeping bag.

The victim, 25-year-old Irishman Aaron McCarthy, who was found by the conservative daily The Telegraph, told the newspaper that he did not bother anyone because he was outside the window of a nearby bank and that the water used by a security guard to chase him away had disinfectant in it.

“It was disgusting. I had to leave because it was so stressful and I barely slept that night because the sheets were wet. My blanket still smells like disinfectant,” he told The Telegraph.

The incident happened on Saturday evening, when the homeless youth was quickly surrounded by security guards who tried to prevent passers-by from filming the scene. Hours after the video appeared on social media and was widely shared by users in the UK, McDonald’s British subsidiary apologized in a statement and emphasized that the security officers in question were working for a private company.

They have been “permanently removed from our restaurants”, the US company announced, adding that “we want to apologize from the bottom of our hearts to the gentleman in the video and we are working with the city council to find him and correct our mistake as part of our ongoing work to support charities organizations for homeless citizens of the region”.

London police said they were made aware of the video and were investigating.