Employees of Downtown Pittsburgh pizza shop rattled after robber steals tip jar
The robbery of a Downtown Pittsburgh pizza shop was caught on video and while the robber is still on the loose, and the money stolen wasn't much, the owners said there's more to the crime's impact.
They said they're hoping for justice for their employees.
The robbery happened at Giovanni's Pizza on 6th Street Downtown over the weekend when a man walked in casually as if he was ordering food and ended up stealing the tip jar and nearly the cash register. It's something they said is happening more frequently.
Today, employees are back to making their famous pizza and pasta but just two days ago, that customer who ended up being a robber was caught on film.
"He started to yank it aggressively, started to take the thing, and took the whole cash register down," recalled Joseph Evans a business partner at Giovanni's. "This poor girl was screaming and yelling and people in the store were traumatized."
For Giovanni's and nearby businesses, thefts like these aren't new - when robbers casually swipe the tip jar - but this time, the impact went beyond just stolen cash and a broken register. It led to a staff member quitting.
"We had a new employee here who was young and she was terrified of what was happening," Evans said. "He stole their tips, people who work in this business depend on tips."
Despite the ongoing challenges, Evans said the shop has tried to support the homeless or less fortunate but incidents like this one make it more difficult.
"We look forward to justice coming, but at the same time, when this man is apprehended, we hope he thinks about what he did," Evans said. "We hope he turns himself in and takes advantage of whatever the court system may offer him."
If anyone recognizes the man from the video or has more information, they're being encouraged to contact law enforcement.
