LACEY, Wash. — An armed, masked man fired his gun inside an Olympia Pizza Time store Saturday night and employees believe he then robbed another Pizza Time in Spanaway 45 minutes later.
Employees say they are “100 percent sure” he’s the same man who has robbed Pizza Time stores across the South Sound in the past month.
A manager told KIRO 7 that Pizza Time restaurants are considering installing panic buttons in their stores as a security measure.
Police say the armed, masked man fired his gun as he fought with an employee over money.
"The guy knew exactly what time to come in there and rob the place, because the money bag was on the counter,” said Benjamin Mendoza, whose friend works at Pizza Time.
"Desperation, the way he came in there with his gun,” added Mendoza, who has seen the surveillance footage of the incident.
An employee told KIRO 7 the person working inside Pizza Time thought the suspect had a fake gun and tried to wrestle with the masked man for the envelope of money.
A manager told us by phone that he's sure the man is the same robber who hit another Pizza Time in Olympia twice last month, and once in Puyallup.
In the Puyallup case, police said the man entered the store in the 300 block of East Pioneer at 11:08 p.m. and displayed a handgun. He ordered the employees to a bathroom, where he made them zip tie themselves to the stalls. One of those workers was 19 year-old Justin Rux.
“I was really scared so I just kept my head down to make sure I didn’t see him in the eyes,” said Rux.
Before the robber left, he gave the employees pair of scissors to cut themselves loose. The man stole about $1,000.
The suspect is described as 6-feet tall and was wearing jeans, a dark gray hooded sweatshirt and a gray ski mask.
Employees who were able to free themselves said they saw him getting into a newer tan, four-door Subaru Legacy.
The same person may be responsible for a series of similar robberies from Olympia to Spanaway. Read previous coverage of Olympia robberies here.
KIRO 7 showed Rux the surveillance footage from the Olympia robberies. He believed the Olympia is the same person who robbed the Puyallup restaurant Monday night.
“That’s how he walked. He has the same black latex gloves he’s wearing, “commented Rux as he watched the video.
“I’m pretty mad. I hope he gets caught soon,” added Rux.
Anyone with information about the robberies is asked to call the Puyallup Police Department tip line at 253-770-3343 or 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or dispatch at (360) 704-2740.
KIRO
