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Subway Robbery Suspect's Excuse: 'Jared Diet' Didn't Work

By Daniel Taylor, Esq. | Last updated on

An Alabama man accused of robbing four Subway sandwich shops with a gun told police he was angry because the chain's "Jared Diet" hadn't worked for him.

Jared Fogle is a spokesperson for Subway who claims that the restaurants sandwiches helped him accomplish a dramatic weight loss. 18-year-old Zachary Torrance apparently failed to see similar results. "He stated in the course of his interview he had tried the 'Jared Diet' and it hadn't worked for him like he thought it should have," Hueytown Police Chief Chuck Hagler told WJBF-TV. "He was trying to get his money back."

Torrance may now end up trying a different sort of diet: the prison cafeteria diet.

Suspect Identified by Walmart Shopper

Torrance was captured by police after surveillance video from one the four robberies he is suspected of committing in the Birmingham area was posted online. A shopper in a local Walmart who had seen the video recognized Torrance as he was shopping for a gun holster.

Police arrived in time to arrest Torrance on charges of first-degree robbery. According to police, a gun matching the one used in at least one of the robberies was recovered from Torrance's vehicle.

First-Degree Robbery

Under Alabama law, first-degree robbery is any robbery in which the person committing the robbery:

  • Is armed with a deadly weapon or dangerous instrument;
  • Causes serious physical injury to another; or
  • Represents verbally or otherwise leads a person to believe that he or she is armed with a deadly weapon or dangerous instrument.

Armed robbery is a Class A felony with a criminal sentence of up to 99 years in prison. For Class A felonies in which a firearm was used, the sentence will be no less than 20 years.

Torrance is currently being held in the Jefferson County Jail on $250,000 bond. That's about 50,000 $5 footlongs.

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