Fugitive arrested after manhunt

GLENDALE — A 46-year-old Los Angeles man charged with shooting a Glendale Pizza Hut employee during a robbery was finally nabbed Wednesday in Fresno after eluding police for more than a year.

The U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force arrested Daryl Beulah after Glendale police detectives tracked him down using DNA evidence left at the scene, police Sgt. Tom Lorenz said.

Glendale police presented DNA findings to the Los Angeles County district attorney office, which ordered an arrest warrant for Beulah on Nov. 12, according to court documents.

Prosecutors charged him with attempted murder and second-degree robbery.

He was expected to return on Thursday to Glendale, where prosecutors have recommended a judge set bail at $2 million.

“In a matter of days…we began tracking him down and locating him,” Lorenz said.

A Glendale detective assigned to the task force was headed to Fresno Wednesday to bring Beulah back to Glendale for booking, Lorenz added.

Beulah had been wanted in connection with the May 31, 2009, robbery at the Pizza Hut on the 1200 block of South Central Avenue, police said.

He allegedly entered the restaurant at 11:10 a.m., jumped over the counter, approached the only employee working at the time and demanded cash from the safe, according to police reports.

The employee, who at the time was 18, gave him several hundreds of dollars and her purse while activating a silent alarm, police said.

After taking the money and her purse, Beulah allegedly jumped back over the counter, turned around and shot her once in the shoulder at close range, police said.

He kicked open the front door and fled. The employee was taken to a local hospital, where she recovered from her injuries.

About a month later, police released surveillance video that showed a gunman entering and fleeing the eatery after the robbery in a bid to generate tips from the public.They also warned the public that the gunman was dangerous and appeared “to have total disregard for life.”

At the time, police said the gunman may have intended to kill the employee.

DNA found in a cap left at the scene led detectives to Beulah in Fresno, Lorenz said.

On Wednesday, a Pizza Hut manager who refused to give her name, said the employee, who was a Glendale resident, has recovered and is well.

She refused to comment on whether the woman was still employed at the restaurant or to discuss the robbery.