Exclusive: Surveillance Tape Depicts Frightening Armed Robbery At Miami Store
MIAMI (CBS4) - New surveillance tape obtained exclusively by CBS4 shows some frightening images during an armed robbery at Dollar Store and the victims say this incident could have been deadly.
"Pathetic," said Frank Ismail, who is the brother of the owner of the store. "It's pathetic. Those are the only words I can say."
Ismail and his family members are sharing the surveillance tape with CBS4's Peter D'Oench because they hope someone will recognize the thieves who they say terrorized their employees.
The shape shows one of the suspects violently shaking a female clerk at the cash register and then jumping over the counter to look for cash as his accomplice holds a gun on her and other employees.
"Somebody could have been shot," said Ismail. He told D'Oench, "They don't care. You see just how they close the door. And boom, they jump inside and get cash."
The female clerk was terrified.
"You can see the lady behind the cashier's desk," said Ismail. "She is not armed. If I was over there, it would have made a difference. You understand what I am saying. They see she is not armed. That's easy."
"He jumps the counter and starts stealing the money," said clerk Marcos Rivera.
The tape also captures Rivera before the gun is pointed at him.
"He comes and pulls out a gun and says don't move," said Rivera. "When I saw that gun, I was frozen. That's it."
The tape shows how the two men first walk into the store at Northwest 22nd Avenue and Northwest 28th Street at 8:47 p.m. on Tuesday. They are inside the store for just 80 seconds. They flee on bicycles with $200 in cash, according to the store owner.
"This is my store," said Rivera. "This is ridiculous. It's not good to steal."
Fortunately, no one is hurt.
The victims say they have not seen the thieves in their store before.
"These people deserve to be in jail forever. I mean forever," said Ismail. "They should not be bonded out ever."
The store owner tells D'Oench that she has owned the Dollar Store for nearly 13 years. She says she was robbed once before six years ago.
She says one suspect is about 18 years old. The other one is older.
Miami Police hope more witnesses will come forward.
Anyone who can help should call them or Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at (305) 471-TIPS (8477). Your will remain anonymous and could be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.
