Man threatens Roscoe’s with gun after being denied service for not wearing mask

Authorities in California are searching for an armed man who allegedly held up a Roscoe’s House of Chicken and Waffles after he was denied service for not wearing a face mask.

The Pasadena Police Department said in a statement that the incident occurred around 5:40 p.m. on Wednesday at the restaurant chain.

A preliminary investigation showed that the suspect got into a verbal altercation with an employee over the mask mandate, which the suspect refused to comply with.

The man then allegedly produced a handgun and threatened Roscoe’s workers, demanding they fill a bag with food. After they did what he requested, he also took several other food orders awaiting customer pickup and fled the scene in a dark-colored sedan.

Cook Robert Gonzalez told ABC 7 that the man initially left over the mask issue but returned to the back of the business by the kitchen. 

“He comes straight toward me with a gun, pointing at me and saying ‘put all the chicken in the bag,'” Gonzalez said.

Manager Angela Prieto told the outlet that the suspect didn’t take any cash, only chicken and waffles, except he stopped for syrup on his way out the door.

“They were feeling scared, especially my cashier,” Prieto said. “She was very, very scared. And when I first talked to her she was basically hysterical, but after a while she calmed down and started laughing about it because she realized all he did was take some chicken.”

Surveillance footage captured the interaction on film. No one was injured during the altercation.

Here is surveillance video of the Roscoe’s Chicken n Waffle robbery. The guy walks in with a gun, through the back, to the kitchen. The guy told the cook, “PUT THE CHICKEN IN THE BAG.” I can’t make this up.

Hear from the cook at 11p on @ABC7 pic.twitter.com/0h0sKmXFy4

— Veronica Miracle (@ABC7Veronica) February 4, 2021

Police said the suspect is still at large.

Restaurants in the city of Pasadena are open only for takeout, delivery or outdoor dining amid the coronavirus pandemic. Public health protocol posted last month states that customers are required to wear face coverings when interacting with restaurant employees.