An armed robbery occurred early this morning at the McDonald’s restaurant on San Pablo Avenue in West Berkeley. At around 5:15 a.m., a male suspect wearing a black ski mask pointed a gun at a male employee who was preparing for the opening of the restaurant. The suspect hit the employee in the head with the pistol and forced him to hand over cash. The suspect then ordered the employee and three other employees to get into the freezer. The suspect appears to have left on foot, leaving a trail of cash in an alley north of the scene as he fled. The employees then called 911 and the Berkeley police responded.
The employee who was struck had a minor laceration to the head. Witnesses were unable to provide a detailed description of the suspect. BPD detectives do not believe that the robbery has any connection with the robberies of pedestrians that have occurred in recent weeks.
