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Retired Officer Chases Down Robbery Suspect

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Times Staff Writer

A retired police officer surprised, chased and overpowered an armed man who tried to hold up a packed Huntington Beach restaurant Wednesday while the former officer was dining there with his wife, authorities said.

Huntington Beach Police Sgt. Dan Johnson said Richard Roberts, 60, of Westminster, and his wife, Pat, were having an early dinner at about 4:45 p.m. at the Hungry Bear restaurant when Roberts noticed a man walk in with a gun.

“I turned to my wife and said as quietly as possible, ‘Don’t move! The place is being held up,’ ” said Roberts, who has been retired from the Long Beach Police Department for eight years.

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Roberts said he strolled outside as casually as possible, then told bystanders to call police while he staked out the restaurant at 1600 Bolsa Chica St.

“I just told them, ‘The Hungry Bear is being robbed. The Hungry Bear is being robbed,’ ” Roberts said.

While Roberts was getting help, Johnson said, the robber was telling restaurant patrons to keep their distance as he tried to open the cash register. He hammered on the register without success and, after a few minutes of fumbling with the buttons, ran outside, where Roberts was waiting for police to arrive.

Johnson said the gunman fled on a bicycle and Roberts gave chase in his car.

During the chase, Johnson said, the robber turned and pointed the gun at the pursuing car. But Roberts quickly rammed the bike, knocking the man off. Johnson said Roberts ran from his car and grabbed the suspect’s gun just as he was reaching for it. The two struggled and shots were fired, but no one was hurt, Johnson said.

At that point, police arrived and Richard C. Dodge, 27, of Huntington Beach was arrested on suspicion of armed robbery. Police said he also is suspected of robbing a market across the street from the Hungry Bear minutes before the attempted restaurant holdup.

Roberts, who had been an officer for 31 years and 6 months, said of his encounter: “I was terribly shaken. I’m still shaken. It has been a long time.”

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