GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — Police are raising the alarm after a man followed two women in their 70s outside a Gwinnett County fast food restaurant, where he robbed them at gunpoint in their car earlier this month.
The Gwinnett County Police Department said it happened on October 6 around 8:40 a.m. at the Burger King on Duluth Highway near Interstate 85. The two women are neighbors and live less than a mile from the fast-food restaurant; one is 74 years old, and the other is 75.
The two entered the restaurant to eat breakfast and sat at a booth. They didn't realize that the man who'd sat near them was watching them. Security camera video shows them walking out of the restaurant. A few seconds later, the video shows the man leaving his booth and following them outside, where police say he robbed them at gunpoint in their car.
Luis Hernandez was at the restaurant that morning and saw the two women when they came back inside for help, frantic.
"It's sad," Hernandez said Tuesday. “They were talking in another language so I couldn’t really understand what they were saying, They were just scared, shaking."
The security camera video shows the man entering the restaurant at about 8:00 a.m. He walked around, then passed the women as they ate breakfast. He never ordered any food.
He sat down near the two women for 34 minutes until the women got up to leave. When they were outside, the man got up and walked out the door and out of view of the security cameras.
The outside cameras show one of the women walking ahead to their car and opening the front seat passenger door for the other woman — who is walking slowly — then helping her inside, walking around to the driver's side and getting in, shutting the door.
That’s when the video shows the man walking back into view, opening the rear passenger door, getting inside and shutting the door.
Gwinnett County Police Corporal Ryan Winderweedle said the man assaulted the women at gunpoint.
"The individual presented a handgun when he was in the back passenger seat and demanded money from the victims," Cpl. Winderweedle said.
The security camera video shows the man jumping out of the car and running away.
Winderweedle said the man had likely targeted the women randomly and could strike again anywhere.
“It seems to be kind of an opportunistic thing that this individual decided to follow these two out and get in their car and demand some money from them,” Winderweedle said. “And he’s considered to be dangerous, he could be out there with a firearm in his possession.”
Tuesday evening outside the Burger King, two customers, Sonya Pinkston and her sister Tonya, who live nearby, said they are especially on guard now and hate it even more that the gunman targeted women — in their 70s.
"Oh no! That ain't right!” Sonya said. “That's not right! We're gonna get him. We're gonna get him. We're gonna get this neighborhood watch back up. We're gonna get him."
There is a Crime Stoppers reward for help identifying and capturing the suspect.
Detectives are asking people to contact Crime Stoppers, stopcrimeATL.org, 404-577-8477 if they want to remain anonymous and qualify for the reward; and people can also call Gwinnett County Police detectives directly, 770-513-5300.