Man Accused of Robbing Waffle House with Crowbar

A Swansea man is facing an armed robbery charge after deputies say he entered a Waffle House near Irmo early Wednesday armed with a crowbar. 

Reginald Anthony Riley Jr., 22, got away with $163 in cash, according to the Lexington County Sheriff's Department. 

Deputies say Riley went in the Waffle House at 491 Piney Grove Road around 12:45 a.m. with a plastic bag tied over his head and a crowbar covered in white cloth.

He then jumped on a booth near the cash register, grabbed the cash and ran from the store, according to the sheriff's department.

A witness told detectives that Riley had earlier been seen near a green 1993 Buick Park Avenue sedan, with a white front door on the passenger’s side of the car, which was parked near the Waffle House.

After hearing an alert for the Buick on the police radio system, two Columbia Police officers found the car at a Sunoco convenience store at 495 Piney Grove Road and detained Riley. 

Lexington County Sheriff's detectives arrived and found a gray plastic grocery bag in the car, according to the sheriff's department. Riley also had $126 in cash and medication for which he didn't have a prescription. 

Riley was arrested and charged with armed robbery and possessing a controlled substance. He is being held at the Lexington County Detention Center awaiting a bond hearing.