Employees Thwart O.C. Robbery Try

Two men, armed with a shotgun and a pistol, tried to rob a restaurant early Saturday morning but failed when the employees overpowered them, police said.

The men reportedly confronted the workers outside the Manana Mexican restaurant at 17171 Brookhurst St. about 12:50 a.m. Lt. Dale Herzog said they forced the employees into the rear of the restaurant at gunpoint and ordered them to unlock the manager’s office.

When one suspect struck an employee with a shotgun, the other employees jumped on him. The alleged robber, whose name was not released by police, managed to run out of the restaurant, but was arrested by police several hours later in Long Beach, Herzog said.

The employees also fought with the second suspect, a 17-year-old juvenile from Long Beach, and disarmed him. During the struggle, the suspect’s pistol fired but no one was injured. Herzog said the youth was restrained by the employees until police arrived.