MANATEE — A barbecue restaurant near Interstate 75 was robbed by two masked gunmen late Sunday, according to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.
No one was injured in the robbery at Sonny’s BBQ, 631 67th St. Circle E., but three employees were forced into a cooler as the suspects made their getaway.
About 10:45 p.m., an employee was taking out the trash when he saw the suspects approaching.
One of the suspects asked if the restaurant was still open, but the employee immediately became suspicious because the two people had their faces covered, according to a news release.
The employee ran back inside and tried to close the door, but one of the suspects was able to get a hand in and force it open.
The employee and a co-worker, who as cleaning the floor inside, were forced into a back room and ordered to lie on the ground.
One of the suspects then went to an office and ordered the manager to open the safe and then lie on the ground.
The suspects took the cash out of the safe, ordered the three employees into a cooler and then fled out a back door with approximately $5,900, according to the sheriff’s office.
One of the suspects, a heavy-set man, was wearing a gray hoodie and bandanna and carrying a semi-automatic handgun.
The second suspect, possibly a slender woman, was wearing a dark blue hoodie and bandanna and dark-colored pants and carrying a semi-automatic handgun.
Man dumps girlfriend’s car into Manatee River
MANATEE — A 36-year-old man was arrested on domestic battery charges after he dumped his live-in girlfriend’s car into the Manatee River, according to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.
Anthony R. Boggs and his 52-year-old girlfriend were in the woman’s car, which Boggs was driving, when an argument started. During the dispute, Boggs stopped the car and pushed the woman out, according to a news release.
A short time later, Boggs was seen pushing the car into the river near the 5800 block of Riverview Boulevard. Boggs told deputies it was an accident, but witnesses reported that it was intentional, according to the sheriff’s office.
Also, the woman told deputies that Boggs had called her to tell her that her car was in the water. A sheriff’s dive team was able to locate the vehicle, and it was towed out of the river.
Boggs, who faces charges of domestic battery and illegal dumping, was being held in the Manatee County jail on $1,000 bond.
Tires of 16 vehicles reported slashed
MANATEE — Sixteen residents in the 500 and 600 blocks of Spring Lakes Boulevard reported to the Mana- tee County Sheriff’s Office that the tires of their vehicles parked in front of their homes were slashed.
According to a sheriff’s office report, the incidents occurred between noon Saturday and noon Sunday.
Copper wire stripped from power poles
NORTH MANATEE — Residents in rural northern Manatee County lost their electricity Monday morning so they called the power company.
When the lineman from the Peace River Electric Cooperative arrived at about 11:30 a.m. Monday to fix the problem, he discovered about 400 feet of copper wire was removed from the power poles in the area of Buckeye and O’Neil roads.
— Marc R. Masferrer and Carl Mario Nudi
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