(Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office;)
- Shake Shack worker allegedly calls out sick, robs his own store — then comes back for his next shift
- Employee allegedly robs Shake Shack at gunpoint, then returns two days later in uniform
- The criminal mastermind shift: Call out sick, rob your own restaurant, then report back to work
BS BULLETIN
- Police say Keondre Simmons called out from his Shake Shack shift, then allegedly returned hours later masked and armed to rob the restaurant.
- Two coworkers allegedly recognized his voice, build, hairline and mannerisms — plus his suspiciously detailed knowledge of the store.
- Two days later, Simmons allegedly returned to work and was arrested. He is being held on $100,000 bond.
There are criminal masterminds.
And then there is allegedly calling out sick from your Shake Shack job, robbing the very same Shake Shack a few hours later and then returning for your next scheduled shift.
Police in Arizona say that’s essentially what 33-year-old Keondre Simmons did. Simmons allegedly called out from his job at the Shake Shack in Kierland Commons around midnight on Aug. 3. Hours later, according to court documents, a masked man armed with a semi-automatic handgun showed up at the restaurant’s rear delivery door.
An employee heard the delivery bell and, believing an expected shipment had arrived, opened the door. Instead, police say, he found himself staring at a gun. The suspect allegedly forced the employee into the restaurant and marched him toward the walk-in cooler.
Court documents say:
“The suspect forced [the employee] inside and locked the cooler door.”
Then the alleged robber went looking for the manager. This wasn’t somebody wandering around asking where Shake Shack kept the safe. Police say the suspect appeared to have unusually detailed knowledge of the restaurant.
He allegedly knew the employee areas. He knew where equipment was located. And, perhaps most importantly, he knew how to operate the outside latch on the walk-in cooler.
A Phoenix man is accused of robbing the Scottsdale Shake Shack he works at, and he was arrested two days later when he showed up for his next shift. Ford Hatchett has more from the court paperwork on the brazen crime. #abc15 pic.twitter.com/Sox8iII4Ay
— ABC15 Arizona (@abc15) August 10, 2026
According to Law&Crime, employees told investigators that the latch was something only workers would ordinarily know how to use. The gunman allegedly forced the on-duty manager into the office and ordered him to open the safe.
Police say approximately $2,800 in cash was removed and placed into what investigators described as a black gun-case-style container.
The manager was then allegedly forced into the cooler with his coworker and locked inside. The two workers managed to escape using the cooler’s internal failsafe.
Which sounds like good news. Unfortunately, police say the suspect came back.
He allegedly forced both employees into the office, ordered them onto their knees at gunpoint and took their cellphones along with the restaurant’s landline. Then came another bit of alleged criminal ingenuity. Police say he threw all of the phones into a sink filled with water to destroy them. Then he fled through the rear door.
Here’s where the disguise may have started experiencing technical difficulties. The suspect was wearing a mask. But his coworkers allegedly recognized characteristics they associated with Simmons.
According to police, both victims identified the gunman’s: build, voice, hairline and mannerisms. Investigators also focused on his apparent knowledge of the store layout, the cooler latch and employee-only areas.
Security personnel at the shopping center reportedly saw the masked man entering and leaving the restaurant and said he briefly lowered his mask while inside a public restroom. Police subsequently identified Simmons as the suspect. And then came the finale.
On Aug. 5, Simmons allegedly returned to the same Shake Shack. For work. Police arrested him there. ABC15 reports Simmons was taken into custody in the restaurant parking lot.
During an interview with investigators, Simmons allegedly said he had discarded the clothing worn during the incident and that a firearm was inside his home. Investigators also wrote that Simmons told them he was “having a tough time, and has kids.”
He now faces one count of armed robbery with a deadly weapon, two counts of aggravated assault and two kidnapping counts. A judge set bond at $100,000, and if Simmons makes bail, court records indicate he would be subject to electronic monitoring.
His next court appearance is scheduled for Aug. 25.
MY QUICK TAKE:
I know these are serious charges.
Two employees allegedly had guns pointed at them, were locked inside a freezer and then forced to kneel.
So let’s be clear: there’s nothing funny about what those victims reportedly endured.
But the alleged getaway plan?
Folks.
If you are accused of robbing your own workplace, and the witnesses know your voice, build, mannerisms, hairline and knowledge of the walk-in cooler latch, perhaps Step Two should not be: Report for your next shift.
What was the thinking here?
Maybe: They’ll never suspect the guy who came back to work. Well, apparently they did. And imagine that morning at Shake Shack.
Clock in. Tie the apron. Wash your hands. Check the schedule.
“Keondre, could you come over here for a second? These gentlemen from the police department would like a word.”
There is also a wonderfully absurd detail buried in this story. Police say the suspect’s knowledge of how to latch the cooler helped raise suspicion that the robber was an employee.
There’s an old rule of crime: Don’t reveal insider knowledge. If the masked robber starts operating the walk-in cooler like he’s been through orientation, that’s probably a clue.
Again, Simmons is accused, not convicted, and he’s entitled to his day in court.
But if prosecutors can prove this happened as described, criminal history may someday remember it alongside the great tactical errors of our time: Don’t leave fingerprints. Don’t look into the camera. And perhaps most important: Don’t rob your own Shake Shack and then come back two days later wearing the uniform.
DBS WIRE SOURCES:
- Fox News — Shake Shack worker allegedly calls out before robbing own restaurant, returns in uniform 2 days later
- FOX 10 Phoenix — Arizona man allegedly robbed his workplace at gunpoint
- ABC15 Arizona — Shake Shack worker allegedly robbed his own store, returned to work days later
- Law&Crime — Worker allegedly locks coworkers in cooler during robbery, then returns to work
