Man sought in connection with possible string of Orange County robberies

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. (KABC) -- Multiple fast-food restaurants in Orange County have been hit by armed robberies recently and police are looking into the possibility that the same suspect is responsible.

A McDonald's in Costa Mesa was hit Tuesday afternoon. Police say the restaurant in the 3000 block of Bristol Street was robbed by a lone man who presented a note demanding cash and brandishing a handgun in his waistband.

The cashier handed him cash and he fled on foot.

A Jack in the Box at 820 N. Harbor Boulevard in Santa Ana was hit on Monday around 8:30 p.m. A suspect entered the restaurant, brandished a handgun and handed a note to an employee demanding money. He took the cash and fled on foot.

A short time later, a Chipotle in Huntington Beach was hit by a suspect using a similar method. Police responded to a robbery call around 10 p.m. at 16241 Beach Boulevard. Authorities said the suspect had a gun and demanded cash from the restaurant.

By the time officers arrived, the armed suspect had walked out and was nowhere to be found.

Multiple robberies have taken place throughout the county in the last month and, according to Sgt. Tom Weizoerick of Huntington Beach police, the description of the robbery suspect has been very similar each time.

Surveillance cameras from two recent robberies at fast food restaurants in Orange County captured images of a suspect, who authorities describe as a Hispanic man, about 25 years old, with tattoos on his arms.

The suspect in the Huntington Beach incident was last seen wearing sun glasses, a flannel shirt and a green baseball cap.

Authorities were working to confirm whether the same man is responsible for all five robberies in the county, including a recent hit at a Del Taco in the city of Orange on Friday. The other incidents include Subway restaurants in Westminster, Fountain Valley and Garden Grove, all of which happened in the last three weeks.

The total number of heists is at least 23 in the month of July: four in Fountain Valley, three in Santa Ana, six in Westminster, one in Orange, seven in Garden Grove, one in Huntington Beach and one in Costa Mesa.

No injuries were reported in any of the robberies, police say.

Anyone with information on the suspect was urged to contact detectives at (714) 536-5951.