Crime & Safety
McDonald's Employees Pistol Whipped During Robbery in Bradenton
The armed robbery comes just days after the Waffle Shop next door was also robbed at gunpoint, according to authorities.
Updated, 6:28 p.m.:
Authorities say Friday's incident may be connected to an April 16 attempted robbery at another McDonald's in Bradenton and released a surveillance photo from that case (see attached).
The Manatee County Sheriff's Office also released a YouTube video of surveillance footage that shows a "person of interest" in Friday's robbery.
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Earlier:
Two McDonald's employees were pistol whipped by three armed men who robbed the East Bradenton fast food restaurant early Friday, the Manatee County Sheriff's Office reports.
Find out what's happening in Bradentonfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Detectives say one employee had finished his shift and was in the parking lot of the restaurant, at 604 67th St. Cir. E., around 4:30 a.m. when the three men approached him, pistol whipped him and forced him back into the building.
The suspects found another employee and the manager inside and forced all three into the building's office at gunpoint, according to a sheriff's report.
Then, the suspects pistol whipped the manager, pointed their guns at the other employees and demanded the manager open the safe. The manager complied, and the men made off with an undisclosed amount of cash.
A witness reported seeing the suspects leaving the scene in a 2000s tan Toyota Camry headed eastbound on State Road 64.
The robbery is the second of its kind to occur this week in the same area, near Interstate 75 and State Road 64 East, though authorities have not indicated if they may be linked. The Waffle Shop next door, at 603 67th St. Cir. E., was robbed by an armed man early Wednesday, according to the sheriff's office.
The employees injured in Friday's incident were taken to Manatee Memorial Hospital, treated for their injuries and later released, officials said.
Anyone with information on this case is asked to contact the Manatee County Sheriff's Office at 941-747-3011 or Crime Stoppers at 866-634-TIPS.
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