HUNTINGTON BEACH : Barefoot Robber Remains Footloose

A barefoot robber who held up a local restaurant at gunpoint escaped with about $700 and managed to elude a dragnet of ground and helicopter patrols Sunday afternoon, authorities said.

The gunman entered the Apple Appeal diner in the 16100 block of Springdale Street just before 3 p.m., showed the hostess a handgun tucked into the waistband of his black trousers and demanded cash, Huntington Beach Police Lt. Jeff Cope said.

The frightened hostess gave him about $700 in cash, then the robber fled barefoot into the neighborhood near Springdale Street and Edinger Avenue, chased by both the cook and a busboy from the restaurant, Cope said.

Police units quickly cordoned off the neighborhood in northwest Huntington Beach, and officers with police dogs conducted a door-to-door search while a helicopter circled overhead. The search was called off about 2 hours later.

“We don’t know where he holed himself up after the cook and the busboy chased him,” Cope said.

The robber was described as a white male with medium-length dirty brown hair, wearing thick-framed black prescription glasses, a gray shirt and black pants. Witnesses said he appeared to be about 25 years old, 5 feet 10 and 160 pounds.