Early Thursday morning, two men wearing partial masks entered a Denny’s in Manassas, Virginia. One of the men was carrying a handgun, while the other was carrying a baton of some kind.
The two men allegedly demanded that customers and staff get down on the floor, and give them their wallets and phones.
According to a Prince William County Police Department report:
As the suspects were leaving, the suspect armed with a handgun shot a 34-year-old man who was being cooperative while sitting on the ground as initially demanded. The suspects also encountered a second male victim, who was walking into the Denny’s and unknowingly held the door for the suspects as they exited. The suspect armed with the baton struck the victim in the head and the second suspect shot the victim.
After police arrived at the Denny’s at approximately 2:25 a.m. local time, they attempted a search for the suspects, even utilizing police dogs. Unfortunately, police were unable to locate the suspects who had vacated the crime scene “on foot.”
Both injured parties were provided with first aid, and taken to hospitals for treatment.
56-year-old Yusuf Ozgur, the DoorDash delivery operator who was the second man to be shot by the suspects, passed away as a result of his injuries while at the hospital. The other man underwent treatment, and “is expected to survive,” according to the police report.
Ozgur leaves behind a wife and two sons.
Police have released the security footage of the suspects entering and attempting to rob the Denny’s and, working in tandem with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), have even offered a $10,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest and conviction.
According to the FBI, these men are suspects in three other robbery cases dating back about one week.
On December 21, two men robbed a Bowl America in Manassas. On December 23, two men robbed a Comfort Inn and Suites in Manassas. On December 24, two men walked into a Walgreens in nearby Woodbridge, and demanded that the store’s safe be opened.
In both the Bowl America robbery and the Walgreens crime, the men carried with them the same weapons seen in the Denny’s robbery and murder – a firearm and a baton. The FBI report states that a firearm was present in the Comfort Inn and Suites robbery.
All three crimes took place between the hours of 12:00 a.m. and 1:02 a.m. local time.
According to the FBI:
The unknown suspects are described as males in their late teens to early 20s, 5’10” to 6’0” tall, weighing approximately 180 pounds. They were last seen wearing all black or dark-colored clothing.
In the surveillance footage, one of the suspects can be seen wearing black or dark blue sneakers with a red accent on the back. He’s also wearing one white glove and one black glove, and what appears to be a black North Face hoodie. The other suspect can be seen wearing medium-light blue jeans with the bottoms cuffed, and what appear to be gray/white New Balance sneakers.
The FBI adds: “Anyone with information regarding these crimes may contact the FBI’s Washington Field Office at (202) 278-2000, or the Prince William County Police Department tip line at (703) 792-7000. Tips may also be submitted online at tips.fbi.gov. You may also contact your local FBI office, or the nearest American Embassy or Consulate.”