Gunman Breaks Into Restaurant, Robs It of $1,200

The manager of a fast-food restaurant in Huntington Beach was forced at gunpoint to open the safe early Sunday by a robber who apparently had broken inside when the eatery was closed and lay in wait for him, police said.

The gunman escaped with about $1,200 from the Taco Bell on Beach Boulevard, officers said. No shots were fired, but the armed man herded the manager and four other employees into a walk-in refrigerator, police said. None of the employees was identified.

Police said the suspect apparently broke into the restaurant through a roof vent during the night, then waited for the manager and other employees, who arrived at about 7:10 a.m. Sunday.

The suspect was described as 5-feet, 10-inches tall and weighing 170 pounds. He was wearing a ski mask and a dark peacoat and spoke with a Middle Eastern accent, police said.