KANNAPOLIS, N.C. — Kannapolis police are looking for the person in an attempted robbery that happened Tuesday morning at the Cook-Out restaurant on South Cannon Boulevard.
Marsaille Powell said Tuesday was his second day as the manager there.
He told Eyewitness News he was transferred from another Cook-Out that was robbed too.
Police gave Eyewitness News surveillance video that shows Powell was almost inside the restaurant Tuesday around 7 a.m. when a masked man with a gun ran toward him.
"I just heard his feet shuffling," Powell said. "I looked back and I'm like 'Oh, let me get in here.'"
As the manager, he was first to arrive and the only one there.
Terrified, Powell said he called 911. In the surveillance video, it shows the would-be robber run back into the woods once Powell shut the door.
Lt. Terry Spry credits Powell for staying calm.
"He was able to keep his cool and had enough thought process, 'Let me pull the key because I know if I pull the door shut, he can't get in,'" Lt. Spry said.
Powell said Tuesday, he is still shaken by the incident.
"It is tough. Your life is on the line and it's just burgers and shakes," Powell said. "It shouldn't really be all that serious."
Powell said he was robbed when he worked at the Cook-Out on Sunset Road in Charlotte.
He said, a robber put a gun to his face and demanded money.
"It's not worth it. I'm thinking about changing professions because it's not worth it," Powell said.
Police said robbers attempt break-ins at places like Cook-Out where they think they can get in and out quickly.
"I wouldn't call them easy targets," Spry said. "I think they're probably targets of opportunity."
With this memory still fresh, Powell is back at work but said he's keeping a watchful eye.
So far, police have not made an arrest in this case and said the suspect in the video was wearing a full face mask so they haven't been able to identify him.
They're relying on tips from the public to track him down.
WSOC
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