City/Region Digest.

Byline: The Register-Guard

LOCAL

Taco Bell workers robbed at gunpoint

Four Taco Bell employees were forced into a store cooler at gunpoint Monday morning by a robber who ordered one of them to open the store safe. The man made off with an undisclosed amount of money.

Police were called to the Division Avenue business at about 9:20 a.m., said Eugene Police Department spokeswoman Pam Alejandre.

The robbery may have been the work of a current or former employee, or at least someone who knew the store's routine, Eugene police Detective Greg Reeves said.

The handgun believed used in the hold-up was found nearby. Reeves declined to say what kind of weapon it was or whether it was loaded.

None of the store employees was injured. They were in the walk-in refrigerator for about 15 minutes, Reeves said.

Taco Bell staff described the robber as a white male, medium to stocky build with a possible mustache, approximately 5 foot, 2 inches tall. He was last seen wearing a black nylon stocking over his face, a Taco Bell cap, black pants and a red, green and blue pullover shirt with a Taco Bell logo on the front. He may have been carrying a blue backpack.

Anyone with information is asked to call Reeves at 682-5187.

Man robs bank, escapes on foot

A man with a nose ring robbed a bank on Monday afternoon, telling clerks he was armed, demanding cash and escaping on foot with an undisclosed amount of money.

The incident occurred at about 3 p.m. at the Valley River branch of Centennial Bank, according to a Eugene Police Department news release.

Police are looking for a suspect in his mid-20s of medium build with brown hair, a closely trimmed beard and mustache. His nose ring is silver, shaped in a half ring with balls screwed on each tip. He was wearing a blue coat and stocking cap.

Anyone with information about the crime should call Detective Ralph Burks at 682-5166 or the local FBI office at 343-5222.

Open-caption version of `Spy Game' set

An open-caption version of "Spy Game," starring Robert Redford and Brad Pitt, will be screened Wednesday and Thursday at Cinema World, 1087 Valley River Way.

The screening is part of a monthly series of first-run movies geared especially to people with hearing disabilities.

In the movie, Redford is a retiring spymaster who has 24 hours to lie and deceive in order to save his protege (Pitt) from death in a Chinese prison. The movie is rated R for profanity, some violence and brief sexuality and has a running time of 115 minutes.

Open-captioned movies display dialogue, music lyrics and other sounds, such as a telephone ringing, on the bottom of the screen.

Show times are in The Register-Guard's movie listings or can be obtained by calling the theater at 342-6536.

The monthly open-captioned screenings are a joint venture of the theater, Tripod Captioned Films and Self Help for Hard of Hearing.