Burger King Getaway Car Stolen by Employee; 'America's Dumbest Criminals' Arrested (VIDEO)
A Burger King getaway car was the only thing missing from a robbery Thursday in Stockton, Calif. Two thieves had held up the fast food restaurant, but when they tried to escape, they found an employee had stolen their vehicle.
The Burger King getaway car was parked outside the back of the restaurant by the Gabriel Gonzalez, 19, and Jeremy Lovitt, 23, who then stormed in to the restaurant armed and demanded cash. Employees complied, but one worker decided to escape to alert authorities to the criminal activity.
However, when the Burger King employee went out the back door, he saw the thieves' getaway car was there, keys in the ignition, and left running, according to CBS Sacramento. The fast-thinking staff member got in and drove the car around the block, hiding it not far from the restaurant.
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After Gonzalez and Lovitt returned to find their getaway car gone, the men decided to attempt to escape on foot. Police found the suspects hiding in a nearby field soon afterwards, though.
Stockton police thanked the unidentified employee for his efforts, which made it possible to catch the robbers quickly.
"The quick action from this employee did allow our officers to get on scene and arrest the suspects," Officer Joe Silva told CBS Sacramento. "I haven't heard of any employee actually leaving a business, getting inside the suspect vehicle and trying to hide it."
The money stolen from the Burger King cash registers was recovered, and both Gonzalez and Lovitt were booked into the San Joaquin County Jail, according to Fox40. Both men decided not to be interviewed about their dumb mistake.
Although the robbery turned out well for police, authorities urged any employees to always cooperate with criminals, rather than risk being hurt. If it were not for the two thieves lack of common sense, things could have ended much differently.
"I think [the thieves] should be on 'America's Dumbest Criminals,'" one woman told reporters.
