Gunman robs Pizza Hut in Costa Mesa

Costa Mesa police are investigating whether a gunman who robbed a Pizza Hut on Harbor Boulevard on Sunday is the same person who tried to stick up a Denny’s restaurant a mile away three days earlier.

Around 3:45 p.m. Sunday, a man entered the Pizza Hut and brandished a handgun, police Lt. Greg Scott said. The man took cash from the restaurant’s register and safe before fleeing on foot.

Police described the man as black, in his 20s, 5-foot-10 to 6 feet tall, with a thin build and wearing dark clothes.

On Thursday, a man largely matching the description brandished a handgun at a Denny’s on Harbor near the 405 Freeway. In that case, the man left without getting any cash.

Scott said detectives are investigating whether the incidents are connected.

— Jeremiah Dobruck

Twitter: @jeremiahdobruck