Man denied chicken and waffles for not masking leaves and returns with a gun

A California man who was refused service at Roscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles in Pasadena, Calif., for not wearing a mask went home and returned with a gun. He held up the kitchen about 5:30 pm on Wednesday.

Robert Gonzalez, who was working as a cook in the kitchen, said "He comes straight toward me with a gun, pointing at me and saying put all the chicken in the bag."

According to KABC, the man initially walked in and was told he would be refused service if he was not wearing a mask. He was also told he would be served if he returned to the restaurant with a mask.

The store manager said that the man did not demand any cash, just chicken and waffles.

"He didn't take any cash," said Angela Prieto. "He actually took chicken and before he walked out the door he took syrup for his chicken."

Prieto adds that while the incident sounded amusing in insight, it was also pretty scary. "They were feeling scared, especially my cashier. She was very, very scared. And when I first talked to her she was basically hysterical, but after a while she calmed down and started laughing about it because she realized all he did was take some chicken."

Security cameras were able to capture the chicken thief's unmasked face. California requires people to wear masks in all indoor public places, including restaurants.

The Los Angeles Times described him as "a Black man in his 30s or 40s with a thin build, black curly hair, hazel eyes and tattoos on his neck and face… He was last seen wearing a green sweater and white sweatpants with black polka dots. His companion was described as a Latino man with a shaved head, standing between 5 feet 4 and 5 feet 5 and weighing about 150 pounds."

Thankfully nobody was injured, but Gonzalez said, "I almost got shot over stupidity, I guess."