Man yells holiday greeting — after robbing business at gunpoint

A man hollered “Merry Christmas!” as he left a Taco Bell on Wednesday night — but police say he wasn’t exactly in the holiday spirit: He had just robbed the place at gunpoint.

The man walked into the Taco Bell at 5808 E. Central at about 6:30 p.m., approached the 23-year-old cashier and pointed a handgun at him, demanding cash from the register, Lt. James Espinoza said. The robber then placed the cash in a duffel bag and left, yelling his holiday greeting as he departed.

There were customers in the eatery during the robbery, Espinoza said, but no injuries were reported.

The suspect left the area on foot, he said. Witnesses described him as a man of unknown race who was about 6 feet tall with a stocky build. He was dressed in all black clothing and wore a silver skull mask.

This story was originally published December 24, 2015 at 1:56 PM with the headline "Man yells holiday greeting — after robbing business at gunpoint."