CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A teenager said she fought off a would-be robber wielding a crowbar and demanding money Tuesday at the Subway on The Plaza in east Charlotte.
The teen, who did not want to be identified, said that without thinking, she stepped up, took action and scared the suspect away by sounding the alarm and slamming the cash drawer shut.
“It was just kind of hard sleeping last night,” the girl told Channel 9 reporter Stephanie Tinoco.
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The Subway employee, who is a Garinger High School senior, said she can’t forget the man’s face.
“He was saying he was going to beat me up," she said.
The suspect who attempted to rob the popular submarine sandwich store is still on the loose.
“I was ringing up his cookies, or whatever, and when the drawer opened, he pulled out this tool, kind of, and he said, ‘Give me all your money out the register or I’m going to beat your (expletive),’” she said. “It was scary. It was (really) scary.”
Charlotte-Mecklenburg police believe the man is the same suspect in four other armed robbery investigations across the city.
[CMPD: Wednesday afternoon robbery pushes string from same suspect to five]
He acts like he is a customer before he strikes, using the same weapon, described as a crowbar or metal pole of some kind.
(Surveillance video of suspect in five Charlotte-area robberies)
"So, that kind of stood with me,” the Subway employee said. “His face, like, just getting closer and when he pulled that bar out."
No one has been injured in the five cases, police said.
The soon-to-be high school graduate said she now has a different outlook on life.
"I’ve always believed in God, but it really made me think, ‘Oh yeah, he protected me. He was definitely there,’" she said.
Police are hoping someone recognizes the suspect, so they can make an arrest.
"I hope he gets caught,” the teen said.
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