Burger King employee distracts manager with burger order to let in armed robbers, Rome police say

ROME, Ga. — A Burger King employee is accused of assisting two men in robbing the restaurant where he worked. Police say he tried to distract the manager by ordering a burger.

The robbery happened late Sunday night at the Burger King off Shorter Avenue in Rome.

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According to the police report, the manager saw an employee, who he identified as Derricus Wade, standing at the side door and Wade told him he was hungry and asked for a burger.

The manager said he let Wade inside the store and started cooking as Wade spoke to another employee as they were walking to the back.

That is when police say Wade let in two men wearing ski masks and gloves. The manager told officers one of the men pointed a gun at him and the employee and directed them toward the safe. Video shows the man grab the manager by the shirt.

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The manager opened the safe door and the men took around $1,500 from the bottom of the safe and placed it into a plastic grocery bag. The suspects then demanded the manager open the registers, placing $420.63 from the front register and $1429.77 from the drive-thru register into the bag.

In total, the suspects got away with nearly $3,500.

Before they left, the manager said the suspects demanded the security footage from the restaurant. He instead gave them four electronic boxes that controlled the food displays. Each box was worth $375 and were later recovered by police along with cellphones.

Officers arrested Wade and charged him with armed robbery. The other two suspects have not been caught.

Police say they are working to recover any fingerprints from the boxes and cellphones to identify the suspects.

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