An employee of a Shake Shack in Scottsdale, Arizona, is facing charges including armed robbery and kidnapping after allegedly holding his coworkers at gunpoint and stealing approximately $2,800 from the restaurant's safe. Keondre Simmons, 33, is accused of entering the restaurant on August 3, covering his face, and brandishing a semi-automatic handgun.
Prosecutors allege that Simmons forced a coworker into a walk-in cooler and compelled the store manager to open the safe. He is also accused of taking the employees' cellphones and destroying them. Both victims identified Simmons, citing his voice, physical appearance, and detailed knowledge of the restaurant's layout, including the walk-in cooler's latch and employee-only areas. Investigators noted that Simmons called out sick that morning earlier than usual.
Surveillance footage from the Shake Shack and nearby properties reportedly corroborated the victims' accounts, showing the suspect entering and exiting through the rear of the building before leaving in a green SUV. Detectives obtained a search warrant for Simmons' cellphone records around the time of the alleged robbery.
Simmons was arrested on August 5 in the parking lot of the Shake Shack as he was leaving his apartment. He was booked on charges of armed robbery with a deadly weapon, two counts of aggravated assault, and two counts of kidnapping. He appeared in court wearing his Shake Shack uniform and was held on a $100,000 bond. A search of his residence allegedly uncovered the firearm used in the robbery and the stolen cash.