Police investigate armed robberies

Police in Cherokee and Spartanburg counties have been comparing notes in recent days due to a rash of waffle-related robberies in multiple jurisdictions.

The Monday evening robbery of the Mr. Waffle on Hampshire Drive — which is under investigation by the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office — was closely followed by the robbery of a Waffle House in Chesnee on Tuesday morning — which is under investigation by the Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office.

Now, two more robberies have been added to the growing list of crimes.

The Gaffney Police Department is investigating the early Wednesday morning robbery of the Waffle House on Hyatt Street, while the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office is investigating the Wednesday evening holdup of a convenience store on Cliffside Highway near the northwestern tip of the county.

In the latest waffle-related robbery, Gaffney Police reported that three armed robbers entered the Waffle House on Hyatt Street at about 1:40 a.m. Wednesday and began running around the location screaming "Give me the (expletive) money. We'll (expletive) kill you."

When one of the robbers demanded that an employee open a safe, the employee responded that the store didn't have a safe.

The robbers then got a second employee to open the register under threat.

The employees told police the men then started grabbing money from the register, dropping some of it on the floor. One robber then demanded the money in one of the employee's wallets.

Even though the wallet contained just $1, police said, the robber took the lone bill.

Before leaving, the robbers stole a drop box from under the register that contained an undetermined amount of money.

Two of the robbers were described as tall and skinny black males, about 6-feet,1- inch or 6-feet, 2-inches tall, both wearing blue jeans and dark jackets.

The third was describe as a skinny black male standing about 5-feet, 8 inches to 5- feet, 9-inches tall. He was wearing a camouflage jacket.

The robbers' faces were covered during the incident. One had a red bandanna over his face while another had a black bandanna.

Police said they were able to obtain videotaped footage of the robbery captured on a security system.

The Cherokee County Sheriff's office had said three black males had robbed the Mr. Waffle at about 11:08 p.m. on Monday. More complete physical or clothing descriptions weren't provided.

The third robbery in Cherokee County in as many days occurred late Wednesday evening at the Carolina Line Grocery at 1767 Cliffside Highway.

According to the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office, two robbers entered the convenience store at about 8:45 p.m., brandished weapons and took an undetermined amount of cash, two money bags, $20 worth of cigarettes and a gun valued at $250.

One of the robbers was described as a black male, standing about 5-feet, 11- inches, weighing 125 pounds, wearing a black shirt, black pants, a stocking on his head and a blue/green bandanna around his face.

The second robber was wearing similar clothing and face coverings. He stood about 5-feet, 10-inches and weighed about 125 pounds as well, according to the police report.