Police Nab Alleged Fast Food Drive-Through Robber
LAGUNA BEACH (CBS) — Authorities announced Thursday the arrest of a suspect wanted for robbing — or the attempted robbery of — more than 30 fast food restaurants in Riverside, Orange and San Diego counties.
David Brian Mattson, 48, was arrested Wednesday night. He is described as a transient who lives in his car.
He was booked on suspicion of two counts of robbery and one count of commercial burglary, said Laguna Beach police Lt. Jason Kravetz.
Mattson is suspected of attempting to hold up many more fast food restaurants from the drive-through lane, Kravetz said.
About 8 p.m. Wednesday, Laguna Beach police responded to a robbery at a Jack In the Box at 1201 South Coast Highway, Kravetz said.
Mattson allegedly pulled into the drive-through lane and tried to hold up the restaurant with a fake gun, Kravetz said.
But as has happened in several of the stickups Mattson is suspected of, the clerk slammed the window shut, Kravetz said.
After he allegedly tried to hold up a gas station, Mattson was apprehended.
Police say they found a fake handgun in Mattson's pocket and his black 2006 Chevy Malibu parked nearby on Broadway.
Mattson, whose last known address was in Lake Forest, was jailed on $100,000 bail.
Meanwhile, other investigators were questioning the suspect.
"We've had a whole slew of police departments here today interviewing him and following up on their cases," Kravetz said.
(©2010 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)
