14 Year old girl charged with robbery after skipping out on IHOP bill
Bloomington MN Jan 25 2020 An unpaid bill at a Bloomington restaurant resulted in the arrest of a 14-year-old St. Paul girl, accused of assaulting a restaurant employee in her effort to flee the restaurant.
Police officers were dispatched to IHOP, 2231 Killebrew Drive, at approximately 1 a.m. Jan. 12 after three juvenile females indicated that they could not pay their $52 bill until their ride showed up with the payment.
Suspicious, the restaurant’s manager informed the trio that he would call the police department to ensure the transaction occurred, according to Bloomington Police Cmdr. Damon Bitney.
Seemingly unhappy with the news that the police department would be called to assist the restaurant, the trio attempted to leave without paying the bill by pushing their way past the restaurant manager.
The trio’s server, a 39-year-old Bloomington woman, attempted to intervene as the girls tried to flee the restaurant. At that point, the 14-year-old hit the woman in the back of the head, knocking her down, Bitney said.
The girls exited the restaurant and entered the backseat of an awaiting vehicle. The vehicle drove off, but restaurant employees provided a vehicle description, and their getaway vehicle was spotted by a patrol officer near Highway 77 and Old Shakopee Road.
A traffic stop was conducted, and five occupants were inside the vehicle, including the trio from IHOP. The restaurant employees were transported to the scene to verify it was the group that had not paid its bill, Bitney explained.
The 14-year-old was arrested on suspicion of robbery since the incident involved the theft of service and assault. Issued citations for theft of services were 16- and 15-year-old St. Paul girls, who were released to adults, Bitney noted.
