Tuesday, 18 February 2014

Cashier shot during armed robbery at McDonald’s in southwest Houston

HOUSTON -- A McDonald's employee was shot in the stomach during an armed robbery in southwest Houston. It happened on Feb. 8 in the 10000 block of Beechnut near Wilcrest.

Surveillance video shows a mother at the McDonald's counter with her child in her arms. Feet away, three masked gunmen storm the restaurant. They put a gun to the mother's head. We spoke to the woman's husband who was sitting in the car outside.

"My wife went inside to get food for the kids. I was looking down and I heard a gunshot go off. When I looked up, I saw a man in between the tables with a gun pointing," said the witness. You can also see a 7-year-old boy playing in the video when the men stormed the place.

"My son was by the toy display, looking at the happy meal toys. He was looking at the animated cups," said the witness. He quickly ran to his mother where they ducked for cover. Right after, an employee was shot in the stomach. You can see the shooter with the gun.

"The employee who was shot was working the front register. As he was backing away, he may have been moving to slow for the suspect," said HPD Officer George Collin Craig.

The manager then was held at gun point while the gunmen cleaned out the cash register. While the robbery was happening, dad was waiting in the car and started panicking.

"I thought they shot my wife and kids. So at that moment I drove around to look for the criminal and thought I will run him over. Three came out with guns," said the witness.

The McDonald's robbery happened just hours after a T-Mobile store was robbed. That happened just a few blocks away. That happened in broad daylight with several customers inside. Shots were fired.

"They're showing a complete disregard for life at this point, they're firing weapons at employees," said the officer. Over at the McDonald's, customers are left nervous. "We eat here almost every day because I don't cook," said Germaine Duncan.

The suspects took off in a silver colored 4-door sedan. The McDonald's employee is undergoing surgery. Call Crime Stoppers with any information at 713-222-TIPS. You can remain anonymous and receive a $5,000 reward.

Friday, 7 February 2014

Robbery suspect fatally shot at credit union in Brookshire

BROOKSHIRE, TX -- An officer-involved shooting outside a credit union in Brookshire, just west of Houston, claimed the life of a would-be robber. It happened Friday afternoon at the First Service Credit Union on 5th Street near Waller Avenue.

"Two or three shots, and then a rapid succession of shots, and then there was one final shot," witness Tom Knapp said.

The credit union's CEO said an off-duty police officer was inside the building working an extra job as a security guard when a suspect entered the lobby at about 2pm. The panic alarm was triggered and the officer tried to stop the suspect.

"The officer then chased the male outside, advised him to stop. The suspect turned with his weapon. The officer engaged that person," Brookshire Police Department Sgt. Jason Whittington said.

The officer fired multiple times, killing the man. The suspect did not fire a shot. No one else was injured. David Bleazard, CEO of First Service Credit Union, expressed relief that no one else was hurt in the incident.

"You can do many things to try to mitigate the risks, but when you're dealing with money, there's always a risk, of someone who is determined, who can hold you up and put your employees' lives at risk," Bleazard said. "I never take that for granted."

The officer, who has been with Brookshire PD for just under two years, is now on administrative leave. The bank is closed for now.

"We're very concerned that our employees, having been through a traumatic experience, that emotionally they're OK, that they're physically OK," Bleazard said. The identities of the 49-year-old suspect and the officer have not been released. The investigation is ongoing.