PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Philadelphia detectives and federal authorities are investigating a string of armed robberies inside fast food restaurants across the city.
Over the past few weeks, at least five fast food restaurant employees have been robbed at gunpoint, at night, by four or five young suspects. Police believe they are teenagers.
“We’ve seen at least two of them have a silver handgun out, pointing it, actually striking one of the employees in one of the cases with it,” said Chief Inspector of Investigations Frank Vanore.
He says they follow a similar pattern. Someone orders food while another is the lookout. Then, they jump over the counter, sifting through the registers and sometimes the safe in the back.
Related
“They are going in very organized, they are ordering people around and they don’t seem to fear anything while they are doing it,” he said.
And, the group flees in a dark-colored Nissan Rouge or SUV.
Two of the robberies were in North Philadelphia, near Mount Peace Cemetery — one at the Popeyes along Hunting Park Avenue, the other at the McDonald’s along Allegheny Avenue. Another was a little further north, at Broad Street and Wyoming Avenue. The others happened this week, at a Burger King and McDonald’s near Delaware Avenue.
“I am very concerned because I have no idea how this is going to end if somebody confronts them or there’s a confrontation,” added Vanore. “I would like someone to tell us who they are and let us investigate.”