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Two customers shot, one fatally, in robbery at a Denny’s restaurant in Manassas Two customers shot, one fatally, in robbery at a Denny’s restaurant in Manassas
(about 5 hours later)
Two customers were shot and one died at a Denny’s in Manassas early Thursday after two armed men came into the restaurant and began robbing patrons and employees. Yusuf Ozgur couldn’t sleep, so he decided he could help his family make a little bit more money. He got out of bed in the middle of the night, opened the DoorDash app on his phone and went to a Denny’s restaurant in Manassas to pick up an order.
Police were searching for the robbers. When he arrived two men were leaving, so he held the door for them.
Sgt. Jonathan Perok, a spokesman for the Prince William County Police Department, said the incident began around 2:25 a.m. when two armed men came into the restaurant in the 8200 block of Sudley Road. Minutes before, police say, those men had entered the restaurant brandishing weapons and ordered 23 late-night employees and patrons to the ground, demanding cellphones and wallets. A diner was shot despite complying.
The men started “demanding property from customers and employees,” police said in a statement. As the robbers left the restaurant, one struck Ozgur over the head with a baton, the other fatally shot him.
Perok said that at one point there was “some sort of encounter” and that two men who were customers were shot before the attackers fled. Ozgur, 56, of Manassas, was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital, police said. The second victim, a 34-year-old man from Rixeyville, Va., was hospitalized with serious injuries. He is expected to survive.
Both victims were taken to a hospital, where one of them died, according to police. “This was a heinous crime,” Prince William County Police Chief Barry M. Barnard said at a news conference Thursday. The robbers opened fire “without any provocation.”
Authorities identified the man who died as Yusuf Ozgur, 56, of Manassas. The second victim, police said, is a 34-year-old man from Rixeyville, Va. He remains in the hospital, and his conditionhas not been disclosed. Surveillance video from the restaurant shows two men brandishing a gun and a baton as they enter the 24-hour restaurant at about 2:20 a.m. in dark clothing, with hoods over their hair and masks covering half their faces.
Ozgur’s wife, who declined to give her name, said her husband was “a wonderful hardworking man” who was “in the wrong place at the wrong time.” As they were about to flee the restaurant, Ozgur, a father of two, was arriving to pick up an order for delivery from DoorDash. Police said he unwittingly held the door open for the two men.
Along with his wife, a family friend said Ozgur left behind a son and daughter. The friend said Ozgur was picking up a breakfast order for the delivery service DoorDash when he was killed. The pair then fled on foot, having taken no money or property from the business, police said.
“Our thoughts are with his family, friends and loved ones, and we are reaching out to his family to offer our full support during this difficult time,” DoorDash said in a statement. “We are in contact with law enforcement and cooperating with their investigation of this horrific crime.” Ozgur’s wife, who declined to give her name, called her husband “a wonderful, hard-working man who was in the wrong place at the wrong time.” A family friend spoke of the 16-year-old daughter and 10-year-old son he leaves behind. Ozgur was a handyman, she said, who delivered food on the side for extra cash.
Perok said the victims did not know each other and that there appears to be “no connection between the victims and the suspects.” He said investigators are treating the case as a robbery that turned deadly. The family implored anyone with information about the crime to come forward.
Police had only a vague description of the robbers, saying they were two black men in their late teens or early 20s. The suspects are roughly 5 feet 10 inches to 6 feet tall and weigh about 180 pounds. They were last seen wearing black or dark-colored clothing. Barnard said police believe the men who robbed the Denny’s may be responsible for recent robberies at three other nearby businesses: a Bowl America, Comfort Inn and Walgreens. All three robberies happened early in the morning within the past five days. In each, the description of the suspects is similar: two black men in their late teens or early 20s, roughly 5 feet 10 inches to 6 feet tall and weighing about 180 pounds, with their faces masked.
The FBI is assisting in the investigation and offering a $10,000 reward for information.
In an email, Josiah Adams — a spokesman for the Denny’s restaurant chain — said “we are saddened to hear of the incident earlier today at our Manassas, VA restaurant, and our thoughts are with those injured and their families.”In an email, Josiah Adams — a spokesman for the Denny’s restaurant chain — said “we are saddened to hear of the incident earlier today at our Manassas, VA restaurant, and our thoughts are with those injured and their families.”
The statement said that “we are cooperating fully with the authorities in their investigation.”The statement said that “we are cooperating fully with the authorities in their investigation.”
DoorDash released a statement saying: “Our thoughts are with his family, friends and loved ones, and we are reaching out to his family to offer our full support during this difficult time. We are in contact with law enforcement and cooperating with their investigation of this horrific crime.”
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