The Boston Police Department is investigating after a man stole the cash register from a Roslindale restaurant in an armed robbery Friday afternoon.
A man wearing a ski mask walked into the Arboretum Pizza and Grill around 4:30 p.m. The restaurant owner said off-camera that the man immediately walked behind the counter, pointed a gun at him and told him to give him all the money or else he'd shoot.
The owner refused and told him to get out, and went to the back of the store to keep his wife and a delivery driver away from the commotion.
The suspect can be seen on surveillance video trying to take the cash from the register, but it was a struggle, and the man just ripped it away and took the whole thing with him as he escaped.
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"Very scary," said Yahaira Garcia, the manager of Guira y Tambora restaurant across the street. "The neighborhood in general is very quiet around this area, that's what surprised me the most, especially the weather, it was rainy and snowy, so it wasn't that busy as usual for a Friday."
The owners of the Arboretum, which is on busy Washington Street in Roslindale, say they've been in the same spot for 10 years and have never had a problem.
They say the man did not look familiar, but they could only see his eyes. They hope he gets caught and have no idea why he chose their restaurant to target.
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"I really hope we get more police cars around," said Garcia. "More security around, more patrolling would be nice, to feel a little bit more secure."
Nobody was injured.
