Robbery attempt at SLO Panda Express prompts lockdown at nearby school
An attempted armed robbery at a Panda Express location in San Luis Obispo caused a nearby school to briefly be placed on lockdown Friday afternoon, according to police.
About 2:10 p.m, police received a 911 call reporting the robbery attempt at the fast-food restaurant’s 1508 Froom Ranch Way location, according to a news release from the San Luis Obispo Police Department.
A man reportedly entered the restaurant, approached an employee who was working behind the counter, pointed a semiautomatic handgun at them and demanded money, police said.
The employee told the man there was no cash in their register, and the suspect walked out of the restaurant, police said.
The would-be robber was described as white and in his 20s; he was wearing a black baseball cap, black T-shirt, black shorts and a blue surgical mask, police said.
After he left the restaurant, employees told police they saw the man walking east along Los Osos Valley Road before he crossed and eventually was out of sight.
Nearby Pacific Beach High School was placed on lockdown at 2:23 p.m. because the man may have been walking toward the campus, police said.
Officers made their way to the school and lifted the lockdown at 2:44 p.m. after they determined the man hadn’t entered the campus.
The man remains at large.
Anyone with information about this incident is urged to call the San Luis Obispo Police Department at 805-781-7312, or Crime Stoppers at 805-549-7867.
Mark Powell: 805-781-7915
This story was originally published September 9, 2016 at 5:54 PM with the headline "Robbery attempt at SLO Panda Express prompts lockdown at nearby school."