Burger King Bandits Behind Bars: Deputies

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — Two Pinellas County men with an alleged penchant for robbing Burger King restaurants face more charges following their Oct. 3 arrest in Palmetto. Pinellas County Sheriff’s deputies announced on Friday that both men have been linked to a September armed robbery in unincorporated Largo.

According to the sheriff’s office, the incident in Largo occurred just before 5 a.m. Sept. 26 when two men dressed in all black, armed with a handgun, went into the 3575 East Bay Drive Burger King. The men are accused of climbing over the counter and forcing the manager into the office at gunpoint. They then ordered the manager to provide access to the safe, an email from the sheriff’s office said. (For more local news from Florida, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts and newsletters from St. Pete Patch, and click here to find your local Florida Patch. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

The men, also believed to be connected to other similar robberies and attempted robberies, were captured by Palmetto Police officers on Oct. 3. The method used to rob the Manatee County restaurant was the same as what occurred in Largo, the Pinellas sheriff’s office wrote in an email to media.

Pinellas detectives charged Antonio Berrios, 26, of St. Petersburg, and Ryan James Anderson, 31, of Pinellas Park with one count each of armed robbery. Authorities say both men are being held in the Manatee County Jail, but will be transferred to face charges in Pinellas.

The investigation into the pair’s alleged criminal activities continues. Deputies say they may be responsible for a string of similar robberies at Burger King restaurants in Pinellas and Hillsborough counties that began on June 30 and Sept. 29. Additional charges are pending the investigation’s outcome.

No further information is available at this time.

Image via Shutterstock