Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
Gene Kennedy reportingIt was a frightening morning for employees at two fast-food restaurants.
A robber armed with a gun ordered his victims to get into the restaurant's cooler. It happened in South Jordon and in Taylorsville.
"I was thinking if he doesn't get any more money he may shoot us."
Police don't know for sure if the robberies are connect, but they are looking into it. But the stories are definitely similar and unsettling.
Noe Rodriguez / Co-Owner, Rolbeto's: "He was looking for the safe here, there was no safe so he told us to go in here and we stayed for about 10 minutes."
When Noe Rodriguez was in this cooler, he thought the worst.
Noe Rodriguez / Co-Owner, Rolbeto's: "I thought he was gonna shoot us and leave us there."
Lorena Rodriguez / Co-owner, Rolbeto's: "He comes after my husband with a gun to the head."
Lorena, Noe's wife, was in the cooler too.
Minutes before this happened, the two opened their restaurant. They didn't have much money. It was only 8:30 this morning. The robber was the first person to walk in the door.
Lorena Rodriguez / Co-owner, Rolbeto's: "When I see the door, this guy isn't standing, and then he jumped here."
Noe Rodriguez / Co-Owner, Rolbeto's: "He jumped over the counter and was wearing a mask, all black, all you could see were his eyes and his mouth."
And of course, that gun.
Noe Rodriguez / Co-Owner, Rolbeto's: "It was about this big. It was a black automatic, it looked like an Uzi."
Fortunately, the couple was not locked in the cooler. They waited about 10 minutes, walked out and the robber was gone.
Noe Rodriguez / Co-Owner, Rolbeto's: "We are really thankful, it was a big gun."
The gunman only got $20. That may explain why this Del Taco in South Jordon was robbed only a half-hour later. Same story: four employees forced into the cooler at gunpoint by a masked man. One of them gave the robber a key to the safe.
If it was the same guy, he probably got more money here than he did at Rolbeto's. Police don't have a strong description to go on.
