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Feds: Armed robbery at South Philly McDonald's an inside job

Federal prosecutors charged three Philadelphia men Thursday with robbing a McDonald’s restaurant in South Philadelphia in February that involved a getaway driver who worked at the restaurant and an accomplice brandishing a 12-gauge shotgun.

Federal prosecutors charged three Philadelphia men Thursday with robbing a McDonald’s restaurant in South Philadelphia in February that involved a getaway driver who worked at the restaurant and an accomplice brandishing a 12-gauge shotgun.
After meeting in West Philadelphia on  Feb. 12 to plan the robbery, the indictment said Nathaniel Coleman, 34, armed with a shotgun, and co-defendant Tyjuan Waters, 35, forced their way into the McDonald’s on Broad Street near Carpenter wearing masks and gloves, while co-defendant Stein Scruggs waited outside with the getaway car.  
Scruggs worked at the McDonald’s.  
Employees were herded to the back of the store and ordered to lay on the floor while Coleman and Waters forced the manager to open the safe.
Coleman allegedly threatened the manager:  “Don’t die over McDonald’s money.”  
The indictment said Waters took approximately $2,171 from the safe and placed it in a duffel bag and that both men stole cell phones from employees to prevent them from calling cops.  Coleman and Waters then jumped in the getaway car as Scruggs drove away.  By then, cops were in hot pursuit and Scruggs later crashed into another car and the robbers fled on foot.
All three were later arrested by city cops.  Scruggs appeared before a federal magistrate in May and is in federal custody.  Coleman and Waters are presently in state custody and awaiting initial appearances before a federal magistrate.  If convicted of all charges, the three men face a mandatory minimum seven years in federal prison. 

Federal prosecutors charged three Philadelphia men Thursday with robbing a McDonald's restaurant in South Philadelphia in February that involved a getaway driver who worked at the restaurant and an accomplice brandishing a 12-gauge shotgun.

After meeting in West Philadelphia on  Feb. 12 to plan the robbery, the indictment said, Nathaniel Coleman, 34, armed with a shotgun, and co-defendant Tyjuan Waters, 35, forced their way into the McDonald's on Broad Street near Carpenter wearing masks and gloves, while co-defendant Stein Scruggs waited outside with the getaway car.

Scruggs worked at the McDonald's.

Employees were herded to the back of the store and ordered to lay on the floor while Coleman and Waters forced the manager to open the safe.

Coleman allegedly threatened the manager:  "Don't die over McDonald's money."

The indictment said Waters took approximately $2,171 from the safe and placed it in a duffel bag and that both men stole cell phones from employees to prevent them from calling cops.

Coleman and Waters then jumped in the getaway car as Scruggs drove away.  By then, cops were in hot pursuit and Scruggs later crashed into another car and the robbers fled on foot.

All three were later arrested by city cops. Scruggs appeared before a federal magistrate in May and is in federal custody. Coleman and Waters are in state custody and awaiting initial appearances before a federal magistrate.

If convicted of all charges, the three men face a mandatory minimum seven years in federal prison.