Officers tackle knife-wielding robber in clown mask at McDonald's
A knife-wielding man who attempted to rob a McDonald's restaurant has been jailed for five years, after he was caught in the act by two police officers who came in on their coffee break.
Zachery Ryan, of no fixed address, jumped over the counter of the Earlsdon branch while wearing a clown mask.
He then pointed an eight-inch knife into the stomach of the manager, while demanding cash from the till.
As customers fled, two West Midlands Police officers who just happened to be walking into the Alvis Retail Park restaurant for a coffee rushed towards Ryan.
The 41-year-old was then tasered and disarmed by the officers.
Yesterday (October 24) at Warwick Crown Court, Ryan was jailed for five years after admitting a charge of robbery.
He will also spend a further three years on licence.
The 28-year-old restaurant manager who Ryan threatened - who has asked not to be named - has thanked police for saving him on the night of August 7.
He said the incident happened just after midnight when he was finishing his shift at the fast-food chain. He says he came face-to-face with Ryan after he heard a colleague scream.
The McDonald's manager said: “I was in the office having finished my shift when I heard a scream from one of my team. I ran out to find a man in a clown mask holding a big knife…I can remember the light glinting off the blade. All I could see was his eyes."
West Midlands Police Detective Inspector Kat Sibley said: “The officers were patrolling shortly after midnight and had stopped on a ‘refs’ break…they were in exactly the right place at the right time."
“Thankfully no-one was hurt and the man has rightly been handed a jail term for what was a nasty robbery."
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