Man robs four Subways because Jared Diet didn't work

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HUEYTOWN, Alabama - A man suspected of robbing four Jefferson County Subway restaurants was captured after a citizen recognized him from surveillance photos and followed him around Walmart until police arrived.

Zachary Rapheal Torrance, 18, was arrested at the Walmart in Hueytown Thursday night, said Police Chief Hagler. He is charged with first-degree robbery, and is being transferred to the Jefferson County Jail with bond set at $250,000.

The chief said the Fairfield teen admitted to the Hueytown holdup, and investigators asked him why he did it. "I don't know if he was kidding or not, but he said he had tried the Jared diet and it hadn't worked for him so he wanted his money back,'' Hagler said.

A gunman robbed the Subway on Allison-Bonnett Memorial Drive in Hueytown around 8:42 p.m. Wednesday. He told the cashier to open the register, took the money and fled the store. The suspect in that robbery was described as a black male with a black jacket, white shirt, blue jeans and orange shoes, about six feet tall and 200 pounds and with shoulder-length dreadlocks.

Monday night, an armed man matching that description robbed the Subway restaurant in Midfield. He robbed the restaurant on Bessemer Super Highway around 9:11 p.m., according to Sgt. Jesse Bell. Birmingham police detectives believe the robberies are connected to a Thursday morning robbery at Subway in Five Points West. The Subway in Adamsville was robbed Thursday night about 7 p.m.

Police distributed surveillance photos and video to the media and posted it to Hueytown's Facebook page. A person who saw the footage on Facebook spotted Torrance in Walmart and was certain he was the robber, Hagler said.

He called police and followed him around the store until officers arrived. "He was an exact match for the video, down to the same clothing and shoes,'' Hagler said.

The chief said Hagler was at Walmart buying a holster for the gun he had used in the robberies. The gun was recovered from the teen's car.

"I am confident that he was the robbery in Birmingham, Midfield and Adamsville," Hagler said. "Those agencies have been contacted and will be moving forward with their investigations."

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