ALBUQUERQUE -- Want more evidence of high gas prices?
A suspect on Tuesday dressed as a police officer held up a McDonald's, then jumped on his getaway "vehicle."
That's right, he fled on a bike.
And police were unable to catch him.
"This is the first time in a while we have seen someone get away on a bike," said Albuquerque police spokesman John Walsh. "It begs the question: Are the crooks being hit by the high gas prices as well?"
According to police, the robber walked into McDonald's, 8001 Harper NE, during the lunch rush around noon and told the manager he needed to talk to him about an "employment issue" in the back of the store.
The man was wearing an outfit commonly worn by bicycle cops. He had on a utility belt with a gun, dark colored military pants, a shirt with reflectors and a police patch and a ball cap with a badge on it, police said.
The manager was suspicious, though, and refused to help, prompting the suspect to pull a gun and point it at the manager's side. The suspect then escorted the manager to the rear of the store, where he accessed a safe and took a "substantial" amount of cash, before leaving on his dark blue 10-speed, police said.
Witnesses said the bandit was white or Hispanic, weighed about 130 pounds and had blonde hair. They also said the man's breath smelled like alcohol.
Police said the patch was not like the ones worn by APD or the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Department. It was shaped like a triangle, similar to patches worn by state and Rio Rancho police officers.