Tulsa Police Recover Stolen Jeep Used In Panera Bread Attempted Robbery

An armed man tried to rob the Panera Bread near Southroads Mall after smashing the front door with a rock.  It happened around 6 a.m. Sunday morning in the 5600 block of East 41st Street.

The man, who was wearing a mask and carrying a handgun, first confronted an employee outside who had just arrived for work, according to Captain Steve Odom with the Tulsa Police Department.

He grabbed the woman's cell phone and threw it to the ground, Odom said. She took off running and was able to get away.

The man then entered the bakery by smashing the front door glass with a rock. After employees told him they could not open the safe, he left the scene.

No one was injured in the robbery attempt.

The man is described as a black male in his 20s wearing a white hoodie and black shirt. He left in a gold Jeep Cherokee.  Police have since recovered the jeep which had been reported stolen in east Tulsa.

"It isn't unusual for a car that's been stolen to be used in a crime so the suspects can further distance themselves," Odom said.

If you know anything that could help police solve the attempted robbery and vehicle theft, call Crime Stoppers at 918-596-COPS.