A Phoenix man faces armed robbery and kidnapping charges after police say he robbed the Shake Shack location in Scottsdale where he was employed, then returned to work two days later.
Keondre Simmons, 33, was taken into custody on Wednesday, August 5, in the parking lot of the Shake Shack near Scottsdale and Greenway Road, the same location where police say he robbed two coworkers at gunpoint days earlier.
According to court documents, Simmons entered the restaurant through the rear delivery door on Aug. 3 armed with a semi-automatic handgun. He allegedly forced one employee into a walk-in cooler at gunpoint, then directed the on-duty manager to open the store safe and hand over approximately $2,800 in cash.
Simmons is then accused of locking both employees in the cooler before returning to force them to kneel at gunpoint. He also allegedly took their cellphones and a landline phone, destroying all of them by throwing them into a sink filled with water, according to court paperwork.
Investigators say both victims told police the suspect's physical characteristics, voice, and familiarity with the store — including knowledge of the walk-in cooler latch, the location of gloves and cleaning wipes, and the layout of employee-only areas — were consistent with Simmons, who had called out sick that morning earlier than his typical pattern.
Surveillance video from the Shake Shack and the surrounding property corroborated the victims' accounts, showing the suspect entering and exiting through the rear of the restaurant and leaving the parking lot in a green SUV, according to court records.
A search warrant for Simmons' cellphone records placed his device in the area of the restaurant at the time of the robbery.
On August 5, court records say detectives watched Simmons leave his apartment and drive to the Scottsdale Road Shake Shack location, where he was arrested.
In his initial court appearance, Simmons was seen wearing his Shake Shack uniform.
Simmons allegedly told law enforcement he discarded the clothing he wore during the incident. He also told investigators a firearm was inside his residence.
A search warrant executed at his home turned up a firearm with characteristics similar to the one used in the robbery, along with amounts of money that were consistent with the stolen cash.
Simmons was held on a $100k secured bond.
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This story was originally published by Ford Hatchett with the Scripps News Group in Phoenix.
