Armed Bandits Storm In, Rob Coconut Grove Store
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- A pair of bandits rushed into a Coconut Grove store while an employee was preparing to open up the place Monday morning.
All this as surveillance cameras rolled.
Miami Police said two armed men stormed into the Shell Lumber and Hardware store on SW 27th Avenue near South Dixie Highway around 5 a.m.
An employee, in the office at that time, was caught in the middle.
"The victim is happy to be alive but he is very shaken up," said Lt. Freddie Cruz with Miami Police.
Officers said the men held the employee at gunpoint and ordered him to open a safe inside the office.
Cameras captured the men pulling cash from the safe and waving their guns around.
The bandits were able to get away with about $11,000 in cash but not before they tied up the employee and left him on the floor.
"Sometimes what we see in crimes like this criminals do their homework. They set up their surveillance to see the employees routines," said Cruz. "We always recommend if someone is transporting money or deals with it, change your routine up because you never know when you're being watched."
The victim was rescued by another employee who heard his cries for help sometime later. That's when police were called out and the investigation continued for hours.
Police said the men were seen driving in a white four-door vehicle.
Customers of the store were surprised to hear of the incident.
"I'm surprised someone was so brazen to come and try something like that," said customer Dennis Perez."It sounds like they knew something. Someone else was involved. It was just too much information to know what to do, where to go, what time to be there. There's got to be some inside-info casing on this."
Officers are hoping someone recognizes the men in the video. They are asking anyone with any information in the case to call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at (305) 471-TIPS. Tips can be anonymous.
