HOUSTON — An ex-Houston IHOP employee's return to his former restaurant ended in a violent confrontation and the man behind bars.
On June 18, Patrick Cooks went back to his former job at the IHOP in the 12300 block of Northwest Freeway with a friend to collect his last check, Houston police said.
When his former manager told him that it was company policy to mail the last check, Cooks got angry and started getting physical with him, according to court documents.
Cooks’ friend, identified as Jaykedric Lettries, then pulled out a gun while Cooks demanded the manager give him money from a drawer where he knew management kept cash. Cooks allegedly also tried to get the manager to open the safe but was unsuccessful.
The two then walked out of the IHOP with about $650, but not before Cooks slashed the tires of two employees’ cars and attempted to light on of them on fire, according to court documents.
The manager told police the entire thing was caught on camera. When police later confronted Cooks, he denied robbing anyone but admitted to taking an unknown amount of cash. He also allegedly admitted to sticking a lit rag in the gas tank of the manager’s car in an attempt to light the car on fire.
Cooks was arrested and is now facing an arson charge. He’s in the Harris County jail on a $50,000 bond. Lettries is facing an aggravated robbery charge but was not in custody as of Friday afternoon.
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