A South Florida man who stopped at a Homestead Wendy's for a burger Sunday night instead found himself in a shootout with a group of armed thieves.
The fast food gun fight unfolded around 8 p.m. at the Wendy's at 13485 SW. 288th Street, when the three masked men entered the restaurant and demanded money from the cash registers and patrons.
But one customer turned victim gave the men a run for their money.
"Three guys come running in, and they were like 'lay down and get down' and the whole nine, so you know, I complied with what they said, got down, they searched my pockets and got a few valuables," said Antonio Brooks, who wishes he would’ve followed his instincts. "Instead of going through the drive through like my mind said, I go inside and eat."
The robbers stole his wallet, watch, and cell phone, but Brooks wasn’t going down without a fight.
When he ran outside to get the robbers’ license plate number, and they opened fire on him, Brooks gave them a taste of their own medicine.
“They start shooting at me. I had my firearm. I shot back,” Brooks explained.
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The men got away, ditching their stolen getaway car, a Chevy Cobalt, at a nearby lake near 284th St.
“Rescue divers responded to the scene, went into the vehicle to make sure no one was inside and found the vehicle vacant,” said Alvaro Zabaleta with Miami-Dade Police.
He wasn't hurt, but Brooks is trying to keep calm, though he never expected to be robbed at Wendy’s.
“The things they took I can replace. I don’t want to kill them but I don’t want them to kill me so it’s a catch-22. If I was put in the situation again, I got my firearm, I’m going to do what I got to do to protect me,” Brooks said.
Anyone with information on the robbery is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 305-471-TIPS.
