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Gunman holds up Oakland El Pollo Loco, snatches 50 pieces of chicken

An El Pollo Loco location on International Boulevard in Oakland | Courtesy Google Street View

An armed man allegedly robbed a popular restaurant chain of 50 pieces of chicken Tuesday evening, staff at El Pollo Loco in Oakland said.

An El Pollo Loco worker who asked not to be named told The Standard the suspect was wearing a ski mask and holding two guns, a rifle and a "glock."

"He jumped the counter, and just grabbed the chicken," said one worker.

A shift lead who was present during the robbery asked not to be named and said her supervisor was working at the register when she noticed the man was armed.

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"She was trying to make it not obvious that she had seen the gun," the shift lead said.

As staff members dialed 911 at around 5:33 p.m., the man jumped the counter and stole "about 50 pieces" of chicken, the shift lead said.

Police said that the armed robbery happened just before 5:45 p.m. at the El Pollo Loco on International Boulevard.

When officers arrived, they learned that an individual armed with a firearm entered and took items before fleeing the scene.

Oakland Police said that the investigation is ongoing and did not provide further information regarding the incident.

El Pollo Loco's corporate office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Garrett Leahy can be reached at garrett@sfstandard.com