A man was arrested on a charge of robbery after allegedly trying to rob a pizza shop at gunpoint before asking for a job, according to police in Washington.
The Bellingham Police Department said that they have arrested 26-year-old Matthew Aaron Etchieson, after being accused of using a fake gun to hold up the pizza shop.
In court, Etchieson pleaded not guilty to one count of first-degree robbery. He was booked into the Whatcom County Jail, where he is being held pending a bail hearing.
According to the police investigation, on Wednesday around 7:00 p.m., Etchieson entered the Papa Murphy’s Take ’N’ Bake Pizza shop located at 2400 James Street.
He pulled out a fake gun that appeared to be a semiautomatic pistol. He then announced that he was robbing the place. All of a sudden, Etchieson put the gun away and asked for a job application.
When he was told that the shop had no job openings, Etchieson fled on foot.