Moment off-duty cop working as a McDonald's security guard pulls his gun on two thugs who smashed his head into a wall and were about to pepper spray him

An off-duty police officer was caught on camera pulling a gun on two thugs who attacked him while he was working as a security guard for McDonald's.  

In the shocking clip, filmed in Chicago on Saturday, two men can be seen beating the middle-aged employee outside the fast food chain.

As the pair smash his head against a wall, one of them appears to aim a can of pepper spray at him before he breaks free.

Stunned witnesses, who are filming the footage from inside the restaurant, can be heard screaming 'no' as the guard points his gun towards his attackers.

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In the shocking clip, filmed in Chicago on Saturday, two men can be seen smashing a security guard's head into the wall outside McDonald's

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The group wrestle until one of the men appears to pull out some pepper spray and aims it towards the off-duty police officer

The pair slowly walk away as the guard continues to aim his pistol towards the two men.

Police told CBS Chicago they had no record of the incident as nobody called 911. 

Social media users praised the security guard for keeping his cool under pressure.

Violet Walas wrote: 'Those punks got what they deserved and they are lucky to be walking away with their lives. Maybe next time they will think again before attacking an innocent civilian.' 

John Roy said: 'Amazing what the security guard did by not shooting.' 

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Stunned witnesses, who are filming the footage from inside the restaurant, can be heard screaming 'no' as the guard points his gun towards his attackers. The pair slowly walk away as the guard continues to aim his pistol towards the two men

Robert Kluver added: 'Bad parenting. Young thugs are out of control.' 

This incident comes amid a spate of disturbances in the area over the weekend, leading to 21 arrests - 20 of them juveniles. 

Police have been called to the Chicago and State McDonald's outlet 35 times in the past 30 days, and there have been nine reported batteries and three assaults, according to CBS Chicago. 

McDonald's franchise owner Nick Karavites told NBC Chicago: 'We are disturbed by this situation. We will continue to take appropriate measures to provide a safe and enjoyable experience for our customers.'