Alleged Indio Denny’s Robber Due In Court

Felony charges were filed Wednesday against a man who allegedly held up a Denny’s restaurant in Indio at knifepoint. Christopher Scott Friedman, 50, is due in court Wednesday afternoon for arraignment on charges of robbery and assault with a deadly weapon. Police allege Friedman approached the front counter of the eatery at 82120 Highway 111 at 11:52 a.m. Friday and demanded money while threatening employees with a knife. After grabbing cash from the register, he allegedly caused minor injuries to two employees, though police did not specify how they were hurt. Friedman allegedly fled in a white minivan. Around 1:15 p.m., a vehicle matching that description was spotted by an officer in the visitor’s parking lot of the Indio police station. Friedman, who was sitting in the van’s driver’s seat, was arrested without incident and the money was recovered, according to police. He was booked into the Riverside County jail in Indio, where he was being held in lieu of $30,000 bail.