Two men wearing ski masks stole money from a Pizza Hut in Laurel Monday, then shut four employees inside a refrigerator, Howard County police said.
Investigators are trying to determine if the robbery is connected to one a day earlier at the McDonald's restaurant on Route 1 in Jessup.
No serious injuries were reported in either incident, police said. Monday's robbery occurred about 11 p.m. when two men entered the pizzeria in the 9100 block of Maier Drive, police said.
The men, one armed with a handgun, locked the doors behind them, approached the manager at gunpoint and demanded money, police said.
After getting an undisclosed amount of cash, the robbers forced the workers into a walk-in refrigerator, police said.
The workers stayed in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes before calling police, police said.
The armed man is described as black, 5 feet 10 inches, between 150 and 160 pounds. He was wearing a black, waist-length leather coat, police said. The second man is described as a black male, 5 feet 8 inches, and 180 pounds.
In the McDonald's robbery, police said a man wearing a ski mask approached an employee about 12:30 a.m. and demanded money. He ordered employees into a rear office, then fled with the day's receipts.
That suspect is described as black, between 5 feet 10 inches and 6 feet 1 inch, with a medium build, police said. He was wearing black clothing.