LEWISTON — An Auburn man was charged Friday night with robbing the South Sea Chinese Restaurant on East Avenue, according to police.
A report of the robbery came in at about 4:15 p.m., police said. Restaurant workers reported a man came into the business, displayed a gun and demanded money.
Five hours after the heist was reported, police tracked down 39-year-old Joseph Pepin of Auburn and, after a brief chase, arrested him on a charge of robbery.
Police said they later recovered a pellet gun that was used in the stick-up.
For hours, police had been searching for a suspect in several different areas of the city. Shortly after 9 p.m., police Sgt. Trevor Campbell led a team of officers to Ash Street after receiving information that Pepin might be at an apartment there.
Once they found their suspect, police said, Pepin took off running, but the chase was brief – officers caught up with the suspect and he was taken into custody without further drama.
South Sea is behind Elizabeth Ann convenience store and gas station at East Avenue and Sabattus Street. As police arrived at the scene when the robbery was reported, so did several customers who had placed orders and were there to collect their food.
“I was here to pick up my hot and sour soup,” said a woman named Denise, who lives in Sabattus. “I’ve been sick and it seems like their soup would help. It’s so good.”
Denise said she did not see anybody fleeing from the business when she arrived at about 4:15 p.m. Instead, she was met by Lewiston Police Detective Tom Murphy, who told her she could not go inside the restaurant.
“I thought he was joking,” Denise said.
Murphy and other detectives were gathering evidence inside the building and speaking with potential witnesses at nearby businesses.
Meanwhile, by 5 p.m., South Sea customers were continuing to pile up in the parking lot.
“I guess I could go somewhere else,” said Jason Powell, who lives nearby. “But I’m really in the mood for this place right now.”
Powell said he had tried phoning in an order, but got no answer from the business after four or five attempts.
Pepin taken to the Androscoggin County Jail in Auburn.
Lewiston police Detective Thomas Murphy begins an investigation into a 4:15 p.m. robbery reported Friday at South Sea Chinese Restaurant at 260 East Ave.
Lewiston police Detective Thomas Murphy advises Jason Powell that the South Sea Chinese Restaurant was closed as police investigated a robbery there Friday afternoon.
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