Three Arrested in Connection With Armed Robbery at Chinese Restaurant

Manatee County Sheriff's deputies arrested three men suspected of being involved in an armed robbery Monday night at the Top China restaurant. They are searching for a fourth suspect.

Latarius Harvey, 21, Dennis Shuler, 19, and Christopher B. Yon, 18, are being held in the Manatee County Jail on charges of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Yon and Shuler were charged with probation violations, and Harvey was charged with possession of marijuana.

The robbery investigation is ongoing, and none of the three has been charged in connection with the robbery.

Manatee County detectives are also looking at the men in connection with a robbery last week at the Fun Spot 2 on Manatee Avenue West, according to Dave Bristow, a spokesman for the sheriff's office.

Bristow said all of the men were wearing black gloves and masks so it makes the investigation more difficult because victims were not able to offer physical descriptions of the men.

But there are similarities between the crimes.

According to a Manatee County Sheriff's report:

On Monday night, at about 9:15, four armed men went through the back door of the Top China restaurant, 3558 53rd Ave. W. The four men ordered the employees to get on the floor and took cash and personal items from the employees and from the business. The men ran off with about $4,000 in cash.

Detectives who responded to the robbery were able to get information on the suspected get-away car.  Just after 1 a.m. today, a deputy saw a vehicle matching the description of the suspect vehicle and followed it to the new Riverwalk skate park in downtown Bradenton. Bradenton police officers and sheriff's deputies stopped the suspects and officers searched the car. They found a loaded handgun and evidence from the armed robbery in the vehicle.

During thursday night's robbery of the Fun Spot 2 the suspects ordered all nine of the customers and the staff at Fun Spot 2 to get on the ground, according to the sheriff's report. The men took  the victims' purses and wallets before going into the back office where one of the men emptied the cash register and took the safe.