IN BRIEF

-- Greg Risling

An armed robber forced several employees of a Newport Beach restaurant

into a refrigerator Thursday evening as he made off with more than

$1,000, authorities said.

The gunman quietly entered Chili’s in the 3300 block of West Coast

Highway around midnight. Two employees were leaving for the night when

the robber approached them and pointed a small-caliber handgun at them.

Although the two workers were startled by the robber, they complied with

his wishes.

The hostages and their captor went upstairs to the manager’s office,

where three other employees were. The gunman demanded money and one of

the workers opened a safe. He gave the robber the petty cash, authorities

said.

The gunman then led the employees to a walk-in refrigerator and locked

them in.

“He told the employees, ‘None of you are going to die tonight,’ right

before he closed the door,” said Sgt. Mike McDermott.

The employees waited about 10 minutes before they activated an alarm.

Police arrived soon after the alarm was sounded, but the gunman had

already fled.

The robber is described as Latino, about 5 feet, 11 inches tall and about

175 pounds. He has a shaved head, possibly a thin mustache, and a scar

above his right eye. He was last seen wearing dark clothing and gloves.

Anyone with details is asked to call the Newport Beach Police Department

at (800) 550-6273.