A 23-year-old parolee accused of climbing through the drive-thru window of a Carl’s Jr. restaurant in Moreno Valley and emptying the cash register while threatening employees with a gun was charged with robbery Wednesday.
David Akau of Moreno Valley was arrested in Riverside on Tuesday and booked at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta, where he remains in lieu of $500,000 bail awaiting his initial court appearance scheduled for Thursday at the Riverside Hall of Justice.
Along with robbery, Akau was also charged with assault with a gun, and multiple sentencing enhancements including allegations he used a gun in the commission of a felony, and that he allegedly committed the robbery while out on bail in a separate case.
According to Riverside County Sheriff’s Sgt. Ryan Marcuse, deputies responded to the Carl’s Jr. at 25055 Elder Ave. about 6:45 a.m. Tuesday on a robbery call.
Witnesses told deputies somebody had allegedly pulled up to the drive-thru window brandishing a handgun and demanded money of an employee who immediately fled. The suspect allegedly then climbed through the window and threatened employees inside with a gun before taking money from the cash register and leaving the store.
Investigators used a citywide camera system in Moreno Valley, along with other “investigative tools,” to identify Akau as the suspect, and he was arrested later in the day, according to Marcuse.
Court records show Akau was out on bail during his latest arrest on charges including carrying a concealed dirk or dagger, possessing an imitation firearm and possessing drug paraphernalia stemming from an arrest in March.
Akau has prior felony convictions in Riverside County including robbery and grand theft, according to records.