Armed thieves rob two Hamilton restaurants overnight

Hamilton police are investigating two overnight robberies in the city’s west end.

Police say two masked men walked into the Subway at 1333 Main St. West around 11:35 p.m. Wednesday.

Anirudh Gorendla was working at the time of the robbery and said one of the armed men threatened the customers and instructed them to go under the tables while the other hopped over the counter and pointed his gun at the employees. The thief told the staff to hand over cash and the workers complied.

“The customers were very terrified. After, we checked on them to see if they were okay or not,” said Gorendla.

The thieves then left the restaurant and immediately went inside the Quick Chik next door. Police say they demanded cash from the employee before fleeing the store.

Mani Salimi manages the Subway store and says that time of day is their busiest. He believes the thieves may have known that and targeted the restaurant. Salimi said the store has been robbed before but never with a gun. “Two people with two guns, that’s really terrifying,” he said.

Hamilton Police investigating two overnight restaurant robberies. Tune into morning live to hear employees describe the terrifying scene of two men flashing guns at them and telling everyone to get down. @morninglive. @CHCHNews #HamOnt pic.twitter.com/QGOEzGdNAQ

— Sylvie Lendvay (@sylvie_lendvay) February 6, 2020

The Hamilton Police Service (HPS) K9 Unit was called in to search the area but did not locate the suspects.

They are described as being white, skinny and roughly five-foot-eight.

The HPS Break and Enter and Robbery Unit is investigating the incident.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police.