Police have made an arrest in the reported robbery at Hong Kong Buffet in downtown Pottsville late last month.
According to court documents, police have arrested Nigel Jackson, formerly of Brooklyn, NY, now living in Pottsville, in connection with the alleged robbery.
Just before 3:30 p.m. on April 29, police in the city were dispatched to the restaurant on E. Norwegian St. for a reported robbery. When they arrived, they met with the owner of Hong Kong Buffet who had blood dripping from his pinky finger and was visibly stressed.
The owner told police that a black male wearing a black shirt with a purple shirt draped over his arm came into his restaurant at about 3 p.m. that day. The suspect, later identified as Jackson, was loitering near the cash register inside the restaurant.
Surveillance footage from inside the restaurant reportedly shows Jackson reaching over the counter, taking the tip jar, and concealing it under his shirt.
Before Jackson leaves, he allegedly put on the purple shirt that had been over his shoulder. The restaurant owner tried to stop Jackson from leaving and a physical altercation ensued.
Jackson then fled east on Norwegian St.
Video footage from nearby businesses, according to police, show Jackson walking toward the restaurant prior to the reported robbery and then fleeing on W. Market St. between 3:20 and 3:30 that afternoon. He then turned on to N. 3rd St. and then Division St.
On May 17, police say they spotted Jackson while they were on patrol. He was reportedly picked out of a photo lineup by the restaurant owner. Jackson was arraigned on a felony robbery charge as well as a misdemeanor for theft later that night before District Magistrate Judge Anthony Kilker and remanded to Schuylkill County Prison on $25,000 cash bail.
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