Man who tried to rob Independence buffet with fake gun is sentenced
Buffet employees threw plates of food at him and repeatedly hit him with a chair to keep him from getting away
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - A Kansas City, Missouri, man who tried to rob an Independence buffet with a fake gun last year, but who was thwarted by employees who fought back, has been sentenced.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, 23-year-old Bryan C. Byers pleaded guilty to one count of robbery last July. He has now been sentenced to six years and six months in federal prison without parole.
The DOJ said that Byers robbed Lucky Buffet at 2931 S. Noland Road on Feb. 21, 2022.
He was armed with what appeared to be Glock, but investigators later learned that the lower portion was from an airsoft pistol. So, it wasn’t designed to fire. Its upper portion was from an actual Glock, however.
The DOJ said Byers approached two employees working near the sushi station. He then pointed the apparent gun at them and told them they had five seconds to give him the cash from the register or he would kill them.
The two employees later told officers they feared for their lives. So, the employees opened the register and Byers started taking money from it.
One of the employees then grabbed the apparent gun from Byers and both of them started fighting with him. Byers tried to get away but was restrained until police arrived.
During the altercation, buffet employees threw plates of food at him and repeatedly hit him with a chair to keep him from getting away.
When police arrived, they found Byers on the floor. He was arrested and taken to a local hospital for “medical treatment.”
Officers also found about $873 scattered on the restaurant’s floor.
Copyright 2023 KCTV. All rights reserved.