LASD: Armed Robbery Suspect Forces Rosemead Olive Garden Employees In Freezer, Steals Cell Phones

ROSEMEAD (CBSLA.com) — Deputies Monday were searching for an armed robbery suspect who held up employees at a Rosemead restaurant.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department received a report around 9 a.m. of a robbery at the Olive Garden at the Montebello Town Center, officials said.

The suspect put five employees in a freezer and stole their cell phones, according to a LASD spokesperson.

It's the third robbery of its kind in a little over a week in the San Gabriel Valley.

On January 4, Arcadia police say a man ambushed an employee taking out the garbage at a Coco's bakery and locked an employee and a manager in a freezer as he got away with the restaurant's cash.

The heist is also similar to a robbery just after midnight Sunday.

Police say the suspect hit Carmine's Italian restaurant after closing, produced a chrome-colored semi-automatic handgun and forced the manager to put all the cash they had inside a bag.

No injuries were reported in any of the robberies.

Detectives say they still don't know if the hold-ups are related.

The suspect in the Olive Garden robbery remains outstanding.