Masked Bandit Robs Berkeley McDonald’s

An armed gunman wearing a ski mask walked into a Berkeley McDonald’s prior to its opening early Wednesday, locking employees in a freezer before dropping a trail of money as he fled the scene, authorities said

At about 5:15 a.m., a male suspect wearing a black ski mask and dark clothing entered the McDonald's, located at 1198 San Pablo Ave. in Berkeley, and pointed a gun at a male employee who was preparing to open the restaurant, police spokeswoman Sgt. Mary Kusmiss said.

The suspect hit the employee on the head with the gun and forced him to hand over cash, Kusmiss said.

He then ordered the employee and three other workers to get into the restaurant's freezer, according to Kusmiss.

She said the suspect then apparently fled on foot, leaving a trail of cash in an alley north of the restaurant.

After he was gone, the employees called 911 and Berkeley police arrived at the restaurant to tend to the employees and secure the crime scene, Kusmiss said.

The employee who was hit with the gun suffered a cut to his head, but the injury was minor and Berkeley Fire Department paramedics treated him at the scene, she said.

Because the suspect was wearing a ski mask, the McDonald's employees weren't able to provide a detailed description of him, Kusmiss said.

She said detectives don't think the crime is related to a series of robberies of pedestrians that has occurred in Berkeley in recent weeks.

On Monday night, Berkeley police said, a man left the North Berkeley Bart station around 10 p.m. and was walking to his car parked across the street and talking on his cell phone.

Police said that's when a man approached him and robbed him at gun point. It was the second armed robbery in North Berkeley in a week.

On December 2nd, around 7 p.m., another man was robbed near California and Lincoln streets. Police said he had also walked back to his car after leaving the BART station.

"The suspect opened the car door, pointed the handgun at him and demanded his computer bag, his keys and his cell phone," Kusmiss said.

These latest incidents come on the heels of six other armed robberies in North Berkeley last month, most of them further away from the BART station.

Police haven't made any arrests and only have vague descriptions of the suspects. Sgt. Kusmiss said people need to pay attention to their surroundings. She said several victims were talking on their phone or listening to an iPod when they were robbed.

Berkeley City Councilmember Linda Maio planned to hold a community-wide meeting on the robberies Thursday night. She said she'd like to see changes in this North Berkeley neighborhood.

"People will come with their ideas for security cameras. We're talking about lighting. We'll talk about patrols," said Maio.

The Berkeley Police Department also strongly recommended cell phone users to program the department police dispatch number into their cell phone rather than simply dialing 911 which will be directly routed to the nearest CHP dispatch center. Cell phone users in Berkeley can program 510-981-5911 into their phones for a direct connection to the Berkeley Police Department Communications Center.