Robber Wielding Gun Strikes at 3 Restaurants

A man with a handgun robbed three south Orange County restaurants in less than an hour Tuesday, including one in which he took wallets, purses and jewelry from more than 15 patrons, authorities said.

At one location the robber “got a cashier in a headlock and forced her to open the cash register,” said Sheriff’s Department spokesman Jim Amormino.

The three establishments targeted were the Fish Market and Grill in San Juan Capistrano, Jenko Sushi in Mission Viejo and Villa Roma in Laguna Hills.

Investigators were looking for a white man about 50 years old and 6 feet tall, with a “scruffy” beard, who drove a gray Pontiac.