'Put the chicken in the bag': Armed bandit robs Roscoe’s Chicken & Waffles

PASADENA, Calif. - Pasadena police are looking for an armed robber who hit the Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles on Wednesday night following a mask dispute. 

The incident happened around 5:30 p.m. at 830 N Lake Avenue. 

Surveillance video taken from the scene shows the suspect walking into the popular eatery without a mask. The maskless man was refused service when the situation escalated. Moments later, the would-be customer pulled out a gun, officials said. 

However, instead of asking for money, he asked the cashier for Roscoe's famous chicken. 

"He’s pointing a gun at me and just says ‘put the chicken in the bag’", cook Robert Gonzalez recalled.

"He came inside the restaurant without a mask, the cashier told him he needed a mask, he told the cashier ‘if I don’t put on a mask what you going to do’ and then pulled out a gun," said general manager Angela Prieto. 

She said the cook refused to give up the chicken so the suspect grabbed a few orders that were sitting on the counter and left. 

Deputies with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department witnessed part of the incident from across the street and pursued the suspect’s vehicle for a short time. 

Deputies lost the vehicle after it entered the 210 Freeway, the sheriff’s department said. 

The suspect remains at large. 

FOX 11's Kelli Johnson contributed to this report.

Get your top stories delivered daily! Sign up for FOX 11’s Fast 5 newsletter. And, get breaking news alerts in the FOX 11 News app. Download for iOS or Android.