Mad 4 Mex robbers leave guns at scene

Police hope the guns will yield the two men sought in yesterday's heist. After herding three employees into a locked freezer and making off with over $1,500 in cash, the two men responsible for yesterday morning's armed robbery at Mad 4 Mex dropped their guns outside a rear entrance and fled, according to University Police officials. Details surrounding the attack began to emerge yesterday as University Police detectives and their Philadelphia Police counterparts mounted a full investigation. According to University Police Det. Supervisor Bill Danks, the suspects entered at the rear of the popular campus establishment, located in the 3401 Walnut Street complex, at around 2:30 a.m. Once inside, they forced two female employees into a bathroom and confronted a manager, who was counting money in an office. The suspects, who were both carrying automatic handguns, took between $1,500 and $2,000 from a safe in the manager's office, then ordered all three employees into a meat freezer. The two armed men fled the scene soon after. After hearing a banging noise coming from the kitchen area, a waiter and a bartender -- who were sitting inside the main part of the restaurant but did not witness the robbery -- freed the three female employees trapped in the freezer. In total, the three victims spent about 15 minutes in the freezer. None of them were physically injured during the robbery. Juno Yoon, the owner of Mad 4 Mex, along with several restaurant employees, declined to comment yesterday. The victims described the first suspect as a light-complected black man, 6'2" with a thin build. At the time of the robbery, he was wearing dark blue coveralls, a stocking mask and latex gloves, and was carrying an automatic handgun. The second suspect was described as a dark complexioned black male, 5'10" with a stocky build. He was wearing a white chef's jacket, checkered pants, a stocking mask and latex gloves, and was also carrying an automatic handgun. At least half a dozen cars from the University Police and Philadelphia Police departments arrived at the scene. While searching for clues, the responding officers discovered two automatic handguns -- believed to be the ones used in the robbery -- outside a rear entrance to the restaurant. University Police Deputy Chief of Investigations Tom King said the robbery looked as if it were extremely calculated. "It shows more planning than the typical street robbery," King said. "That part of it is disquieting but there are parts of that which lend a cautious optimism that we'll make arrests in this case." King explained that it is extremely unusual for criminals to just leave their weapons at the scene of a crime, but that the blunder will likely give a boost to the police investigation. Detectives assigned to the case are planning to contact the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms to run a check on the guns' serial numbers. That information, King said, will help determine where, when and by whom the guns were purchased.

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