Robber buys 2 shots of whiskey with $100 bill before robbing bartender at gunpoint

A man wearing a blond wig paid for two shots of whiskey with a $100 bill at a restaurant in Puyallup, Washington, just before he robbed the bartender at gunpoint, according to police.
The suspect, who remains at large, walked into the restaurant, Ma's Place, Monday around 9 a.m., ordering two shots of Jack Daniel's and handing the bartender the $100 bill, Puyallup Police Capt. Scott Engle said yesterday.

The bartender, who only identified herself as Rachel to ABC affiliate station KOMO-TV in Seattle, said when she turned around, "he had a gun up and said, 'Give me all the money in the register,' and so I did."

Her "insides melted" the moment she saw the gun, she added.

The robber, who wore the wig under a Seattle Seahawks beanie, then asked for the restaurant's money bags, police said, adding that he left 50 cents on the counter before leaving.

"[He] told me if I called anybody then he'd be back," Rachel said. "He scooped all the money up but left me 50 cents, so I think I'll frame those, lucky quarters."

 

Puyallup police believe the suspect is tied to two other armed restaurant robberies last week in Pierce County, one at The Buttered Biscuit in Sumner and another at Elmer's Restaurant in Tacoma, Capt. Engle said.

"We determined it was the same man based on security footage," he explained. "He also appeared to have the same M.O. All three were armed robberies at restaurants, where he had a drink, pulled out a weapon and escaped with cash."

All three police departments are working together to find the suspect, Engle said, adding that they are asking for anyone who has any information on the suspect or can identify him to come forward.

"He's been successful three times, so he's probably getting more bold and feeling like maybe he can get away with more," he said. "So we need the public's help in this case to identify him and quickly apprehend him."