ROCKLIN —
An armed robbery Friday night at a busy Rocklin plaza has authorities searching for the man behind the white mask. The crime happened at Don Quixote’s Mexican Grill on Sunset Boulevard in Rocklin’s Park Plaza.
The plaza was more crowded than usual Friday night. Cars filled the parking lot and people flooded the area to celebrate a restaurant’s anniversary party. The crime took place during the celebrations around 9:47 PM.
Origin Coffee & Tea manager Steven Zantingh explained what he saw, “We see four cop cars pull in and people rush out.
Rocklin Police officers surrounded Don Quioxte’s Mexican Grill after the masked man forced his way into the restaurant wielding a semi-automatic pistol.
The suspect is believed to be Hispanic, 5 feet 8 inches tall and 175 pounds. Authorities said he threatened and forced four employees into a walk-in freezer while he grabbed an undisclosed amount of cash and made a run for it. A surveillance picture even shows at one point he was holding the gun up to an employee’s head.
“We have the lowest crime rates in the area. We’re a very safe city — it’s very rare we have something like this, and when we do, we obviously take it very serious,” said Sergeant Gilbert Farrulla with the Rocklin PD.
Authorities are asking for your help in finding who is responsible for this robbery. The man was last seen wearing a white sweatshirt and white mask with blue gloves. If you have any information contact the Rocklin Police Department at (916) 625-5400.
