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Baby Threatened In Armed Robbery In Midtown Miami

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- Two lives were put in danger during a convenience store robbery in Miami -- and one of them was only nine months old.

It was barely noon Tuesday when two gunmen stormed into an empty grocery store on N.E. 2nd Avenue in midtown.

Before making their move, surveillance cameras showed them inside the store scoping the place out.

A clerk was carrying her baby behind the register. When the armed robbers returned and realized it, they did the unthinkable.

"They had the gun pointed at her, forced her to put her baby to the ground. They pointed the gun at the child, which is nine months old, demanded them to give her the register," said Aubrey Watson, the store's owner. "They told her they would kill the baby if she made any noises, alerted the police, screamed or anything."

The crooks emptied the register and left.

The owners told CBS4's Donna Rapado that they don't keep large amounts of cash in the store for this very reason.

Opened for less than a year, the new owners also installed bullet-proof glass, a buzzer for entry, and several cameras placed all over the store.

They said their next move is to seal the small opening in the glass the robber used to point his gun at the baby.

"She was very hurt by this. It's her first child," said Watson. "She was very hysterical and crying. I just hugged her and told her everything was gonna be okay."

Police are hoping someone can recognize the men on the video. There's a cash reward for information leading to an arrest. Call Crime Stoppers at (305) 471-TIPS.

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