Police say Burger King robbery was staged

A manager of a Burger King in North Bend will likely face felony theft charges after he and an accomplice attempted a fake robbery at the restaurant last week, the King County Sheriff's Office says.

According to the Sheriff's Office, the 18-year-old night manager heard a knock around 3:10 a.m. at the back door of the eatery. He opened it, and was "accosted by the pistol-waving robber" in a ski mask.

The man was struck in the face, pushed to the ground then pulled by his shirt collar to the office "where he was forced at gunpoint to fill a bag with cash from the safe," said sheriff's spokesman Sgt. John Urquhart.

The robber struck the manager once more on the head before running away.

When detectives arrived, suspicions mounted. The more they asked questions, the more their focus turned to the night manager's involvement. Police later discovered the manager and the robber "were in cahoots," Urquhart said.

Nobody has been arrested, but the case will be forwarded to the King County prosecutor's office for a filing decision, Urquhart said, and the now-ex-manager will face a charge of filing a false report.

Sonia Krishnan: 206-515-5546