news-record.com

WINSTON-SALEM — Three men were arrested and one person was hurt during the attempted robbery of a restaurant Sunday night.

Winston-Salem police said the manager of the Pizza Hut at 3460 Robinhood Road was approached by a man with a gun at 10:52 p.m. Sunday as she left the restaurant with the night deposit.

During a struggle, the manager was hit in the face with a pistol. A second Pizza Hut employee tried to hit the suspect with his vehicle but missed and hit another vehicle instead.

The suspect, without any money, ran behind the building and got into a 1999 Ford Crown Victoria with two other men in it. A Pizza Hut employee followed them in his vehicle. As the suspect's car went east on Polo Road, they passed Officer M.J. Whitlow parked at Reynolda Road and Polo Road.

Police said the officer noticed both cars driving erratically and that the Pizza Hut employee was blowing his horn. The officer pulled over both cars in the 1500 block of Polo Road.

Three men were arrested. They were:

* Rodney Gerard Nesmith, 46, who has no permanent address, was charged with attempted armed robbery and assault with a deadly weapon. He remains in the Forsyth County jail on an $180,000 bond.

* Michael Augustus Thomas, 47, of 2404 Ivy Ave. He was charged with attempted armed robbery. His bond is $138,000.

* Anntisha Demetric Benton, 22, of 2366 N. Patterson Ave. She was charged with conspiracy to commit armed robbery. Her bond is $55,000.

Police said they found a semi-automatic pistol in the car.

The Pizza Hut manager, whom police did not identify, suffered a 2-inch cut on her face. She sought medical treatment on her own. The second Pizza Hut employee was unhurt.