Yakitori Yakyudori Robbed at Gunpoint | Kearney Mesa Restaurant Latest Victim in Series of Robberies

January 15, 2015

According to San Diego Police Lieutenant Steve Shaw, two gunmen robbed the very popular Yakitori Yakyudori restaurant, located at 4898 Convoy Street in Kearny Mesa, as the restaurant was closing down at 11:47pm on Wednesday night, January 14, even pistol-whipping a worker in the head with a handgun causing minor-injuries. The bandits also robbed several employees of personal belongings before fleeing out of the back of the location. SDPD believe that the details of the armed robbery at Yakitori Yakyudori may be linked to a robbery that occured at a Little Caesars in Rancho Bernardo earlier that day, as well as a string of ten similar armed robberies that have taken place in the San Diego area since December 15.

Little Caesars in Rancho Bernardo was reportedly robbed shortly before 10:30pm on Wednesday, January 14, with no injuries. The descriptions of the Little Caesars thieves matched those in the Yakyudori robbery. The suspects are both described as black males between 20 and 30 years old around 6’1", and each was last seen wearing dark hoodies and dark pants. San Diego police also believe the two January 14 robberies are connected to a string of similar armed robberies taking place throughout the San Diego area that date back to December 15.

Suspect at The Wineding Shoe

According to a San Diego Police Department Bulletin released on January 12, the suspects in this series of robberies have shown no consistent pattern in the type of business they target or how many suspects enter the business during the robbery. They have committed robberies with one, two and three suspects entering the victim business, sometimes armed with a handgun, knife, or combination of handgun, knife and unarmed. Suspects were armed with at least one handgun in all of the robberies. Their clothing has been described as monochromatic, lacking any insignias or designs, generally wearing dark colored hoodies or long sleeve shirts. 

The most targeted area has been Northern San Diego with five cases. (Four in the La Jolla area and one in the Clariemont area), with the following robberies being possibly linked to the suspects:

Suspect from Shakeaway robbery

1. 12/15/14, at 11:30pm, Lincoln Tax Services, 3944 Illinois Street;
2. 12/16/14, at 8:32pm, Living Spinal, 7340 Trade Street, Unit F;
3. 12/16/14, at 9:15pm, La Jolla Village Lodge, 1141 Silverado Street;
4. 12/17/14, at 7:15pm, The Wineding Shoe a Salon & lounge, 3603 4th Avenue;
5. 12/17/14, at 9:25pm, Los 2 Pedros Taco Shop, 723 Turquoise Street;
6. 12/23/14, at 8:50pm, Sands of La Jolla, 5417 La Jolla Blvd;
7. 12/23/14, at 10:08pm, Subway, 3445 Midway Drive;
8. 12/27/14, at 8:30pm, Saracia Shannahan, 1100 Silverado (also an attempted Pedestrian Robbery); 
9. 12/27/14, at 8:47pm, Shakeaway, 723 Pearl Street;
10. 1/05/15, at 9:50pm, Home Bar Liquor, 3550 Ashford Street; 
11. 1/14/15, at 10:30pm, Little Caesars, 16477 Bernardo Center Drive; and
12. 1/14/15, at 11:47pm, Yakitori Yakyudori, 4898 Convoy Street

Anyone with information about these robberies are asked to contact Detective John Smith at the San Diego Police Robbery Unit at 619-531-2288.