A man armed with a large knife robbed Togo’s at closing time
Monday night, herding employees into a back room then taking off
with the cash from the register.
”
I believe this is the first armed robbery of the year here (in
Hollister),
”
Capt. Richard Vasquez said.
Hollister – A man armed with a large knife robbed Togo’s at closing time Monday night, herding employees into a back room then taking off with the cash from the register.
“I believe this is the first armed robbery of the year here (in Hollister),” Capt. Richard Vasquez said.
The employees told police they were preparing to close the store around 9pm when a man entered and immediately took out a knife and demanded money. At knife point, the suspect directed one employee to the back of the store where the other two were and took the money from the register tray in the office. He told the employees to stay in the back of the store, and then left the scene without hurting anyone. Vasquez said when police arrived and found the employees, they were very shaken up.
There were no customers in the store during the robbery and police say there were no witnesses in the parking lot to account for which direction he fled.
“At this point, the case is still being investigated,” Vasquez said.
Togo’s owner Amit Pandya said in the 10 years the store has been open he’s never had one problem, but he’s not going to take any chances. In order to protect his employees, Pandya is installing four cameras to provide surveillance, and he’s scheduling an extra person to close in the evenings.
“We’re in a very busy, well lit shopping center, not some back alley,” he said. “I really don’t know what happened. We already have a fairly good safety plan intact, but we’re not going to take a chance of something happening in the future.”
The employees described the suspect as a white or light skinned Hispanic male, early to mid 20s, 6 foot to 6 foot 3 inches tall, with a thin build and wearing either a black ski mask or beanie with sunglasses. He was also wearing a long trench coat with silver buttons, according to the police report.
Anyone with information regarding the robbery can contact Detective Rudy Rodriguez at the Hollister Police Department 636-4330.
Christine Tognetti covers education for the Free Lance. Reach her at 637-5566 ext. 330, or ct*******@fr***********.com.
