A warning to would-be thieves: do not try to mess with the folks at Kamakura Japanese Restaurant in Champaign, Illinois. You will face the sharp justice of a knife-wielding sushi chef and his badass staff. Last week, they thwarted an armed assailant who stupidly tried to rob the place. He is now in jail.
Knife-wielding sushi chef foils restaurant robbery
On Tuesday, when a wannabe robber entered the restaurant and pulled a revolver (it turned out to be a pellet gun) on the hostess, chef Tetsuji Miwa grabbed the first weapon within reach -- his sushi knife. The robber got spooked and made a run for it, but two other workers jumped in and tackled him before police arrived.
Do not mess with the crew at Kamakura. They do not play.
The robber entered the restaurant around 7:20 p.m. Tuesday, stepped to the cash register just inside the door, pulled what appeared to be a revolver from his waistband and demanded cash from the hostess.
"He just stood there and started asking for money," said Miwa, who was only a few yards away from the 17-year-old hostess. "I saw her face. She was very scared.
"He said, 'Give me your money. Open the drawer.' " Miwa said. "That's when I instantly grabbed my sushi knife, walked up to him, wrapped my arm around his shoulder and asked him what he wanted. He saw the blade, got scared and started running."
He and two other workers wrestled him to the ground, with the help of a stool that assistant manager Joe Pendzialek grabbed "and cracked him over the head with it," he told the newspaper.
Don't make the man use his knife.
The suspect, 23-year-old Clayton Dial was arrested and charged with attempted aggravated robbery, intimidation and aggravated battery. His girlfriend, 23-year-old Kelsey Cabellero, was waiting outside with the getaway car and was also later arrested on an outstanding warrant. Gotcha, suckas.
More here: Catch of the day: Sushi chef helps foil attempted robbery at Kamakura
