Fountain Valley : Police Seek Gunman Who Robbed Eatery

Police are looking for a gunman who disguised himself as a cook then robbed the Claim Jumper restaurant of $12,000 over the weekend.

The man walked into the restaurant at 18050 Brookhurst St. at 7:30 a.m. Saturday through a rear door that had been opened for an early-morning delivery, said Fountain Valley Police Sgt. Dann Bean.

“The suspect, armed with a handgun, attempted to disguise himself by dressing up in a cook’s apron that he apparently found in the kitchen,” Bean said.

The robber mingled with a cleanup crew before he slipped into the bookkeeper’s office, ordered her to lie on the floor, then removed more than $12,000 in cash from the safe, Bean said.

The robber left the restaurant through a back door and escaped in a waiting vehicle that was driven by a second man, police said.

The robber is described as black, in his mid-20s with black hair and brown eyes. He is approximately 6 feet tall, weighs about 200 pounds and has a medium build.

He was last seen in a rust- or orange-colored Toyota Celica two-door hatchback with a California license plate.

“Some of the employees said they saw this man at the restaurant earlier in the week, so he may have spent some time planning this,” Bean said.

Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Jim Perry at (714) 965-4466 or the front desk of the Fountain Valley Police Department at (714) 965-4465.