UPDATE (December 29, 2022):
Fort Wayne police say that a man accused of robbing the IHOP restaurant on Coldwater Road on Christmas Eve is also a suspect in a string of hold-ups the same day.
Police say that Ian Bazur-Persing is also suspected of robbing a gas station on LowerHuntington Road and a Walgreens store on Stellhorn Road.
He is now facing an additional two counts of Armed Robbery. The FWPD says that additional charges could still come.
Police officials released the following:
On 12/24/22 FWPD Officers arrested IAN BAZUR-PERSING, after a short footpursuit, immediatley after he had commited an armed robbery at the IHOP located at 4403 COLDWATER RD. In that robbery, BAZUR-PERSING held the manager at knife point.
After follow up and further investigation, FWPD Officers have been able to connect BAZUR-PERSING to additonal robberies and theft investigations that occurred earlier in the same day. The first incident was at the Walgreens located at 6201 STELLHORN RD at 1:30am. The second robbery occurred at the Marathon Gas Station located at 510 LOWER HUNTINGTON RD at 2:30am. Additonal charges are pending.
ORIGINAL STORY:
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (ADAMS) – Fort Wayne police say that a man is behind bars after he held up a Coldwater Road restaurant with an axe.
FWPD officials say that on Christmas Eve 41-year-old Ian Bazur-Persing also had a knife that he used to hold the manager while robbing the IHOP restaurant just before 1 p.m.
He was able to get away at first but was caught just a short time later on foot close to the Petco store.
Police say all the money he got away with was returned to the restaurant.
FWPD officials released the following:
On 12/24/22 at approximately 1254 hrs. Officers in the Norhwest Quadrant responded to a dispatched call of an armed robbery, in progress, at the IHOP located at 4403 Coldwater Rd. Initial information given was there was a man armed with a axe and knife, who had the manager at knifepoint and was robbing the restaurant.
Officers were able to make the scene quickly and were able to locate the suspect (IAN BAZUR-PERSING, 41 years of age) who was fleeing the scene on foot in the area of the PETCO. Officers were able to give chase and quickly apprehend the suspect who was still armed with the axe and knife. All money was recovered and returned to IHOP
