Restaurant workers locked in refrigerator during robbery

A handgun and knife were used by three suspects to force four Swiss Chalet employees into a walk-in refrigerator during a robbery at the Guelph St. Restaurant Saturday night.

Four employees at the Swiss Chalet restaurant in Georgetown spent a tense 20 minutes locked in a walk-in refrigerator late Saturday night following an armed robbery. At approximately 11:50 p.m., two employees taking out the garbage at the rear of the restaurant at 320 Guelph Street were confronted by two males. "One of the suspects was armed with a black handgun; the other with a shiny knife with an 8-inch serrated blade," said Acting Detective David Shortt of Halton Regional Police. "They were hiding out back of the restaurant and basically ambushed the two employees putting out the garbage, then they were joined by a third suspect as they entered the restaurant." Shortt said there were another two employees inside, and the restaurant was not open to the public at the time, as the employees were cleaning up after closing. Once inside, the three suspects ordered all four restaurant employees into a walk-in refrigerator, locking them in, while taking an undisclosed amount of cash from the store safe and the cash drawer. "The suspects attempted to lock them (the employees) in by ramming a chair up against the door, so they couldn't get out," said Shortt, "The four employees forced the refrigerator door open and called police." The three suspects were all in excess of six feet. Two were described as being black, while the race of the third suspect was unknown. Two had medium builds, and the third was described as being `chubby'. One suspect had `dark eyes' and was wearing a black face mask, and a beige coat. All three suspects used scarves to partially obscure their faces. One male was in his mid-20s. Halton Regional Police are asking anyone with information about this cime to call Acting Detective David Shortt at 905-878-5511, extension 2110, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (1-800-222-8477)