Armed Robberies at 2 Food Outlets May Be Linked

Armed robbers wearing women’s stockings over their faces struck two fast-food outlets early Sunday in Newbury Park and Thousand Oaks, escaping with an undisclosed amount of cash in crimes that investigators say may be related.

The first robbery occurred about 12:20 a.m. at Wendy’s Old Fashioned Hamburgers on West Hillcrest Drive in Newbury Park, when a store employee went into the restroom after closing hours and was confronted by a man carrying a handgun, Ventura County sheriff’s deputies said.

The robber forced four employees and the store manager into a walk-in refrigerator, stole cash from the manager and fled on foot. He apparently had been hiding in the restroom since the dining area of the restaurant closed at 10 p.m., investigators said. The drive-by window remained open for another two hours.

The robber was described as a white male, about 30 years old, 5 feet, 11 inches tall, with a medium build and black curly hair.

The second robbery, by two men, took place about 2:10 a.m. at Domino’s Pizza on Agoura Road in Thousand Oaks. The robbers charged into the store at closing time, brandishing semi-automatic pistols, deputies said.

One robber entered the manager’s office, where the manager and two other employees were counting the day’s receipts. The other forced a fourth employee into a bathroom at gunpoint. The two men then pushed furniture in front of the manager’s office door, trapping the three employees inside.

The gunmen in the Domino’s Pizza robbery were described as white males in their early 20s. One was about 6 feet and thin, with dark brown hair; the other about 5 feet, 11 inches, with a heavy build and blond curly hair.

Although the descriptions of the suspects in the two robberies differed, deputies said they were investigating a possible link because of the stocking disguises worn by all three robbers and because store employees were rounded up in both incidents.