A Key West man jailed Tuesday night for allegedly robbing McDonald's from the drive-through window is telling police he was coerced into the crime by an unidentified gunman giving orders from the back seat.

Leroy Hicks, 26, is charged with two felonies, grand theft and robbery without a firearm stemming from the hold-up of the fast-food restaurant at 3704 N. Roosevelt Blvd.

Witnesses told police Hicks pulled up to the window just after 8 p.m. in a white Ford Edge and handed the attendant a note reading, "I got a gun. Give it up," scrawled on a torn Home Depot advertisement. The cashier handed over the entire drawer containing $1,934, according to police reports.

Police linked Hicks to the robbery through his car and witness descriptions of the robber -- he's had previous run-ins with the police. However, Hicks told detectives he didn't plan to rob McDonald's.

Rather, according to his statement to police, a black man with a star tattooed on his forehead and with gold fangs approached him asking to buy marijuana. Hicks said he would take him to get some pot and invited the man into his car.

That's when, Hicks said, the passenger pulled a chrome revolver and ordered the robbery with a threat of death. Hicks said the gunman produced a photo of Hicks' girlfriend, threatening, "If the cops come looking for me, you'll get what's coming to you and I'll kill your girl."

With that, Hicks told police, he robbed the place, and the alleged passenger disappeared into the night.

Police spokeswoman Alyson Crean said the gunman described by Hicks "knew apparently the girl that was working the drive-through. She handed him the entire cash drawer."

Hicks described the unknown gunman as having "gold fangs and a five-star tattoo with a B in the middle of the star on his forehead."

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