Man attempts restaurant robbery using blank handgun, cops say
Suspect fled on foot
A Freehold man attempted to rob a city restaurant using a gun that was filled with blanks last week, Asbury Park Police Captain Anthony Salerno said.
On April 12, a man entered Jade’s Garden Chinese Restaurant, at 410 Main St. between Summerfield and Bangs avenues, and pointed a silver handgun at an employee, demanding cash from the register and the tip jar, Salerno said.
The employee refused and the man fled from the restaurant on foot, Salerno said. Police responded to the area, got a description of the man, and later located William Casrell, 27, of Freehold.
The police located Casrell while he was in the process of changing his clothes behind a structure after he had fled, Salerno said. Casrell fled on foot and police apprehended him a short time later, Salerno said.
The police found in Casrell’s possession a silver blank-firing handgun that was loaded with blanks, Salerno said.
Casrell was charged with robbery, unlawful possession of weapons and resisting arrest. His bail was set at $375,000 with no 10-percent option by Asbury Park Municipal Court Judge Dan DeBenedetto, Salerno said.
