'Pulp Fiction' raid on diners

This is LONDON ^ | 03/02/04 | Tariq Tahir and Humfrey Hunter

[TERMINATTOR]

Armed robbers who held up terrified diners at gunpoint in a London restaurant are today being hunted by police.

In a raid reminiscent of a scene from the film Pulp Fiction, the thieves held a gun to a customer's head as they forced diners to hand over money, mobile phones and other belongings.

The robbers, who also used the gun to threaten one of the waiters, made their victims put all their possessions on the dining tables - reducing women to tears as they forced them to hand over their wedding rings.

A senior flying squad officer described the robbery at Rosmarino in St John's Wood as "audacious and outrageous".

He said: "It is the first time we have heard of diners in an expensive restaurant being robbed while they were eating."

Police believe the men targeted the restaurant because of its wealthy clientele. Sir Paul McCartney and Heather Mills dined there when they first became romantically involved.

The two robbers - one armed with a handgun, the other a knife - burst in at about 10pm on Sunday. One of them grabbed a waiter and threatened to kill him unless staff and customers handed over all their possessions.

No one was hurt during the raid, in which about seven people were robbed, although staff and customers were said to be badly shaken.

A member of staff who was working downstairs in the kitchen at the time of the attack described hearing "loud crashing sounds" as tables in the restaurant were knocked over, followed by "a tremendous thud" as a waiter was thrown to the ground.

The worker, who did not want to be named, did not see the attack, but told how a customer ran into the kitchen asking for help as the robbers fled with hundreds of pounds in cash and other valuables.

The staff member said: "The first thing we knew about the attack in the kitchen was when a customer came running downstairs and said there had been a robbery.

"He was really scared and speaking very rapidly. The whole raid happened so quickly.

"I heard a lot of footsteps, shouting and the scraping of tables. Then there was a bang when the waiter was thrown to the floor."

He said staff and customers had been "traumatised" by the attack, adding that waiters who had been working that night had been given today off to rest.

Speaking as staff started clearing away the damage, he said: "I think we will be considering having bouncers on the door after this."

The restaurant is one of a number including the Michelin-starred Zafferano, in Knightsbridge, owned by Giuliano Lotto. It was closed last night. Linda Larocca, operational director of Mr Lotto's company, , said: "We are glad nobody was hurt. It was an awful thing to happen."

Police said the robbers are both aged about 25. The gunman is described as black, 5ft 8ins, of stocky build, and was wearing a dark balaclava and a grey tracksuit.

The second man is white, 5ft 6ins, slim, and was wearing a black balaclava and a red or orange tracksuit top.

Officers from Barnes flying squad are investigating and are appealing for anyone with information to contact them on 020 8247 7931, or via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

The raid was similar to the opening and closing scenes in Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction, in which an armed couple hold up a diner before the hitmen, played by John Travolta and Samuel L Jackson, pull out their own guns and take control of the situation.

[TERMINATTOR]

Those darn hitmen are never around when you need them!

[Phantom Lord]

Impossible. Guns are banned in England. This is a work of pure fiction.

[Howie66]

But I thought that because of the so very strict gun laws in GB, there were no bad guys with guns........

[Dialup Llama]

>Officers from Barnes flying squad are investigating and are appealing for anyone with information to contact them on 020 8247 7931, or via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

They fight criminals with circus clowns in the UK?

[Prodigal Son]

To be precise, handguns are banned.

There's always the black market though.

[Phantom Lord]

I believe the ban is far more than handguns. If memory serves me right, the gun ban is so restrictive that the Olympic Rifle Team has to practice outside of the country.

[Don Corleone]

See the article about "Seniors Packing Heat" Makes you think doesn't it?

[Archangelsk]

JULES Just hang in there, baby, you're doing' great, Ringo's proud of you and so am I. It's almost over, (to Pumpkin) Now I want you to go in that bag and find my wallet.

PUMPKIN Which one is it?

JULES It's the one that says Bad Motherf***** on it.

Pumpkin looks in the bag and -- sure enough -- there's a wallet with "Bad Motherf*****" embroidered on it.

JULES That's my bad motherf*****. Now open it up and take out the cash. How much is there?

PUMPKIN About fifteen hundred dollars.

JULES Put it in your pocket, it's yours. Now with the rest of them wallets and the register, that makes this a pretty successful little score.

VINCENT Jules, if you give this nimrod fifteen hundred bucks, I'm gonna shoot 'em on general principle.

[leadpencil1]

Officers from Barnes flying squad are

I think they meant Monty Python's Flying Circus.

[Pharmboy]

The gunman is described as black, 5ft 8ins, of stocky build, and was wearing a dark balaclava and a grey tracksuit. The second man is white, 5ft 6ins, slim, and was wearing a black balaclava and a red or orange tracksuit top.

Well, at least they were a diverse group...

[finnman69]

Just get me back my wallet "the one that says Bad Motherf*cker"

[dennisw]

Doing the crimes that the English are too lazy and unwilling to do?? Hmmmmm?

[TERMINATTOR]

It's "illegal" to offer any real resistance to crime in the UK. "Proportinal force" or some such nonsense. If some scumbag shoots you, THEN you can shoot them. Seems like CCW must be "legal" so you can acomplish that?

[tiamat]

There's lot's of black folks in England.... born and raised and citizens. Same for Chinese and Indian derived. Anyplace England had a colony has decendants living there now.

[ScudEast]

I think you are allowed rifles, shotguns and muzzle loading pistols. That's partly why the handgun ban is so ridiculous - psychos can just use a shotgun instead. UK Gun laws from a uk gun dealers web site.

[Prodigal Son]

I believe the ban is far more than handguns.

Hmmm. There's a shop right down the road that sells rifles and shotguns and people hunt here. Deer, pheasant that sort of thing.

[freeeee]

Speaking as staff started clearing away the damage, he said: "I think we will be considering having bouncers on the door after this."

They still don't get it.

[ScudEast]

I believe the ban is far more than handguns. If memory serves me right, the gun ban is so restrictive that the Olympic Rifle Team has to practice outside of the country.

Er... *blushes* I might have been a little premature in saying that it was ok to have rifles in the UK. Self loading and pump action rifles other than ones chambered for .22 rimfire cartridges are indeed banned and if there is an olympic sport that uses those (Olympic Biathlon?) then you may be right.

More UK gun law info

Sorry.

[joesnuffy]

Wolves prey on sheep...when the watchdogs are asleep
When the sheep are armed...the need for watchdogs is much less
Armed sheep become more and more equal to the watchdogs
And can be their own and each other's watchdogs
They begin to lose their sheeplikeness altogether
The watchdogs dont want this as they want the sheep as pliable and available to them
as they are to the wolves...
Both watchdogs and wolves like things the way they are...they call it balance or rule of law

[joesnuffy]

Wolves prey on sheep...when the watchdogs are asleep
When the sheep are armed...the need for watchdogs is much less
Armed sheep become more and more equal to the watchdogs
And can be their own and each other's watchdogs
They begin to lose their sheeplikeness altogether
The watchdogs dont want this as they want the sheep as pliable and available to them
as they are to the wolves...
Both watchdogs and wolves like things the way they are...they call it balance or rule of law