Robber walks into restaurant, immediately regrets the decision

A suspected robber walked into a Burton Chinese restaurant Wednesday night and almost immediately regretted the decision.

Ming Wang, who owns China Wok on Shanklin Road, told Beaufort County Sheriff’s Deputies he was working with his wife and two children when a black man with a red shirt and black pants entered the restaurant with his face covered. Wang grabbed his Smith & Wesson pistol and pointed it at the man, who turned and ran from the restaurant, a Sheriff’s Office report said.

Wang fired a warning shot into the ceiling and another in the air after he followed the man out the door. He told deputies he didn’t intend the shoot the man, only to scare him.

Surveillance video showed the man enter with what appeared to be a bandana covering his face and begin to reach for his waistband. He only made it a few steps into the building before turning and running, the report said.

The video had no sound and didn’t clearly show when the shots were fired.

The suspect is described as a black male of unknown age wearing a red shirt and black pants. He was at large Thursday afternoon and the investigation is ongoing, Sheriff’s Office Capt. Bob Bromage said.

China Wok has been robbed several times in the past, Bromage noted.

Bromage said the video is part of an ongoing investigation and wouldn’t be released. China Wok gave its only copy of the video to deputies, an employee said when reached by phone Thursday.

This story was originally published September 8, 2016 at 4:46 PM with the headline "Robber walks into restaurant, immediately regrets the decision."