Customer Halts Robbery Try From Drive-Thru Lane
A fast-food restaurant robbery was foiled when a quick-thinking customer struck an ax-wielding thief with his car.
Theodore John Nelson, 31, of Los Angeles entered the McDonald’s at 6830 Balboa Blvd. at 9:40 p.m. Monday, Officer Mike Partain, an LAPD spokesman, said. Nelson allegedly demanded money from the cashier, then walked behind the counter and emptied the cash drawer, police said.
A motorist waiting at the drive-thru window saw what was happening and called 911 on his cell phone, Partain said.
As Nelson fled the restaurant, he was struck by the motorist’s vehicle, Partain said. Nelson was knocked to the ground and held down by McDonald’s employees and the motorist, who police said was a former volunteer with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
Police arrived moments later and took Nelson to County/USC Medical Center, where he was in stable condition Tuesday. He was booked on suspicion of robbery.
An unspecified amount of money was recovered and no one was injured during the incident, Partain said.
Tito Zamalloa, a marketing manager at McDonald’s corporate offices in Woodland Hills, referred callers to the police and declined further comment.
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