OCALA, Fla. – A robber at a McDonald's drive-thru in Ocala left employees on edge.
The man, dressed in all black with a hoodie, slowly walked up to the drive-thru, slouched over, watching and ready.
He stopped at the back of a black SUV whose drive had just finished paying for food at the window, and stood behind it, waiting.
As soon as the car pulled forward, the man forced the window back open and leaned his upper body inside the restaurant. That's when he started to wave the gun in the cashier's face, saying, "Give me the money."
The cashier was startled and told him she didn't know how to open the register. For a second, she tried to figure it out, but then ran away into the back of the store.
That's when the suspect grabbed the register, ripped away the cash drawer and took off.
Police said moments later, the man could be seen hopping into a gray car.
Customers said it could have been much worse.
"It can happen anywhere. I always come through this McDonald's before I go home," one woman said. "It's a life-or-death situation."
Others said they will now be looking around them when they are stopped in a drive-thru line.
"You're coming up just to get something to eat, and then someone puts a gun in your face or you're working as a cashier. I'll probably go inside more," another customer said.
Police said they checked the area to see if the robber disposed of the cash drawer, but didn't find anything. They said they're not sure if the black SUV he hid behind had something to do with the robbery.
Anyone who has information that can help is asked to call Ocala police.