Three men accused of robbing a fast-food restaurant, then shooting at several law enforcement officers as they tried to escape, were identified Sunday.
The men also were connected to another fast-food robbery in Broward County, one of a string of heists in which two men donned disguises and grabbed cash, according to the Broward Sheriff's Office.
More than 20 fast-food restaurants have been robbed from Deerfield Beach to Fort Lauderdale since January, according to BSO.
On Sunday, BSO would only say that the men were connected to one of them, but it was an ''ongoing investigation,'' spokesman Mike Jachles said.
The accused are Christopher Ladarious Hicks, 18; Robert Louis Jackson Jr., 19; and Reginald Demetris Robinson Jr., 20.
All three are from Pompano Beach, according to BSO.
Jackson was on probation for robbery with a deadly weapon, according to state corrections records.
He had been released from prison after serving two years for robbing a fast-food restaurant, Jachles said.
All three were in custody without bail Sunday night.
They have been charged with attempted murder of a law enforcement officer, aggravated assault with a firearm and resisting arrest, BSO said.
The men were caught after a chase that stretched through two counties Friday night.
It began when the men burst into a Boynton Beach Burger King around 8:40 p.m. wearing masks and gloves and demanding money, said Stephanie Slater, spokeswoman for Boynton Beach police.
Two of them jumped on tables while another held a gun to the manager's head, Slater said.
The men grabbed an undetermined amount of cash, got into a silver Saturn and sped away toward Interstate 95.
The men raced southbound on I-95, with Boynton Beach police and the Florida Highway Patrol following. As the cars exited at Hillsboro Boulevard, the men shot at an FHP vehicle, BSO said.
The Saturn continued going east until about Dixie Highway, where the men ditched the car on the side of the road and shot at Boynton Beach police officers, BSO said.
One of the suspects later told BSO detectives that all the men took turns shooting at the police while they were being chased, according to BSO.
Hicks and Robinson were found in a shed in the 170 block of Southwest Fourth Street, BSO said. Jackson was found hiding in another shed behind a home near Southwest Second Court and Southwest First Avenue, BSO said.
Jackson had a gunshot wound from the shooting with Boynton Beach police, BSO said. He was being treated on Sunday for the injury.
