Armed Robbers Hit Wahoo! Grill

Three masked men with pistols robbed the Wahoo! Grill after closing Sunday night, knocking one employee unconscious and forcing the other workers to lie on the floor while they stole tip money and four bottles of booze.

There have been at least five armed robberies in Decatur since Feb. 6 -- one at the nearby East Lake Marta Station -- but this is the first with an injury. Four other victims were female pedestrians and the other was a woman at a drive-through ATM.

Decatur police gave this account of the robbery at the restaurant on College Avenue:

An employee was on the back patio taking out the trash about 11 p.m. when several men walked up, all dressed in black and carrying handguns. One suspect struck the employee in the side of the head with a handgun and he lost consciousness.

Inside, a female employee was closing up when one of the men appeared in the kitchen entrance. He ordered her into the rear dining area and told her to lie on the floor face down.

Other employees were herded into the dining area and on the floor. After a few minutes, the robbers left through the back door.

Though the first employee only remembered being struck once, he had wounds on both sides of his head. He was taken to Atlanta Medical Center. His condition was not known.

About $75 in cash from the tip jar and four bottles of alcohol were stolen from the restaurant. The first employee said his wallet containing a debit card and $10 in cash was stolen.

The victims said the robbers were dressed in black clothing, with two wearing black faces masks and one wearing a red bandana over his face.