Man hides in freezer, tries robbing Checkers

Miami police arrest man found hiding in freezer

MIAMI – Police arrested a man who emerged from a freezer and tried robbing a Checkers Drive In.

The attempted robbery happened Monday morning at the restaurant, located at 450 Northwest 2nd Avenue in Miami.

At 6:20 a.m., Miami police said the employees at the Checkers were preparing to open the restaurant.

The employees heard a window shattering on the side of the restaurant and then about 7 a.m., police said Anthony Michael Demore appeared, demanding money from the window opening.

All the employees then ran to the other side of the restaurant and called police.

Police said Demore then proceeded to the drive-thru window, shattered it with a concrete paver and gained entry. At that moment, all the employees ran out of the restaurant.

Once inside, police said Demore looked around and hid in the freezer.

"About an hour into opening the store, the restaurant, they hear some type of commotion inside," said Miami police spokesman Sgt. Freddie Cruz. "They see this gentleman come out of the freezer area."

The man was inside the freezer for more than an hour with ice falling on top of him, said Cruz.

"He's actually making demands for their money and articles, so they came out running out of the restaurant and that's when they called 911 and our officers were able to take him into custody," added Cruz.

Demore was bandaged and bundled up in blankets as he was placed into the back seat of a police car.

"It's quite bizarre how this gentleman was able to hide in this freezer," said Cruz. "It's unclear how many hours he was in there. We're not thinking he was there all night otherwise it's possible he could've lost his life."

According to an arrest affidavit, Demore told police he was being chased because he allegedly owed someone $2,500 for drugs. Demore said he just went inside the Checkers to hide from him.