Maplewood Popeye's Employee Fights Armed Suspect
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — Maplewood police are asking for the public's help identifying an armed robbery suspect caught on camera struggling with an employee who fought back after the robber put a gun to his head last week.
According to police, the incident occurred at 9:50 p.m. Thursday at a Popeye's Chicken Restaurant on the 1900 block of Beam Avenue. There, the robbery suspect entered a back door shortly after two workers exited to take out some trash.
Police say the suspect then grabbed an employee from behind, put a handgun to the employee's head and demanded that the safe be opened. The employee, named Allen, fought back and struggled with the suspect for a while before the suspect was able to free himself and flee out the back door.
During the struggle, a video released by police shows the suspect pistol whipping the employee.
"It was incredible to see just the amount of energy that went into this fight. It was quite a struggle," said Maplewood Police Chief Paul Schnell.
Police responded and searched the area, but were unable to find the suspect. It is unknown if the suspect had a car.
The suspect is described as a black man between 20 and 30 years old, between 5-foot-6 and 5-foot-9-inches tall, 150 to 180 pounds with a number of tattoos on his arms.
Police say several items of the suspect's clothes were recovered and will be DNA tested. However, police say they hope the suspect can be more quickly identified by the public.
"Grabbing this employee, and almost like it was a hostage situation, would have made it easier. But this employee was the wrong one," Schnell said. "He had been a long-time wrestler in high school and that's pretty clear in what you see in the video."
Allen told his co-workers that his instincts just kicked in.
The suspect is considered armed and dangerous, and should not be directly confronted. Anyone with information is asked to call the Maplewood Police Department at 651-767-0640. Tips can also be provided anonymously by texting the keyword MAPLEWOOD followed by the tip information to TIP411 (847411).
