Police charge 2 men in connection to the stabbing of a Des Moines McDonald's employee

Two men have been arrested and charged in connection to the Tuesday night stabbing of a Des Moines McDonald's employee, officials said.

Jose Perez Soto, 22, and Miguel Soto, 28, were arrested and charged with willful injury, Des Moines police said Thursday evening.

Surveillance footage shows the two men just after 8:05 p.m. Tuesday inside the restaurant, at 1404 Des Moines St., just south of Interstate 235.

Des Moines police Sgt. Paul Parizek said the men pulled into the drive-thru and got into an argument with a 19-year-old employee.

Parizek said they eventually entered the store, where the exchange escalated and a manager stepped in to try to diffuse the situation. The manager eventually refunded the two customers about $11 for their order, and they left the store.

The store manager told police that the suspects were regular customers and that they had called the victim a "n-----" when complaining about their order, according to the police report.

When the manager let the employee step outside to take a break, Parizek said, the two suspects were still in the parking lot.

A witness in the police report told authorities that the suspects tried backing over the victim, who then "loudly" kicked the suspects' back passenger door before they stabbed him.

► Previously:Police release images of 2 men accused of stabbing Des Moines McDonald's employee over $11 drive-thru order

The victim was being helped by people inside the McDonald's when medics arrived, according to a police report, which also indicated there was a "blood trail" from Des Moines Street into the restaurant.

The employee was taken to a local hospital with "serious but non-life-threatening injuries," Parizek said.