Two masked men with firearms robbed a busy southside restaurant in Red Deer on Tuesday while a packed room of shocked customers quietly looked on.
The robbers entered Boston Pizza in the 3200 block of Gaetz Avenue at about 9:30 p.m.
Kevin Schropfer, a Realtor with RE/MAX, was having a late dinner with his wife and son inside the Boston Pizza lounge when the pair walked in.
They noticed immediately something was strange by what the two were wearing.
Both were wearing hoodies, plus bandanas to mask their faces. But what was most startling was what they were carrying.
Schropfer said the robbers were toting handguns.
“It was a real gun,” he said. “It wasn’t a toy.”
Schropfer said the robbers demanded the staff behind the bar open the tills.
“The staff were actually incredibly excellent, very calm and we were very impressed with how professional the staff has been.”
Schropfer said the whole atmosphere at the time seemed “very surreal” at the time because as soon as people knew an armed robbery was taking place, everyone’s conversations stopped.
The room became quiet. He estimates the robbers were inside for about a minute, before they took off. The robbers did not say anything to the customers, said Schropfer.
“There were quite a few people in the room that became quite shook up about it,” Schropfer said.
Another couple ran out to see what they could make of the getaway car.
Meanwhile, police arrived shortly after.
Mounties took statements from everyone who had been inside.
Police say the suspects got into a dark-coloured car and were last seen eastbound through the parking lot.
No one was injured during the robbery.
One of the suspects is described as about 1.82 metres (6 ft) tall, with a heavy build. He was wearing a grey hoodie, dark pants and a white bandana.
The other suspect is described as about 1.77 metres (5 ft 10 in) tall and having an average build. He was wearing a black hoodie, baseball cap and white bandana.
Anyone with information is asked to call Red Deer City RCMP at 403-343-5575 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
ltester@www.reddeeradvocate.com