Armed robbery in La Porte caught on camera
LA PORTE, TX
Around 10:30am Thursday morning, the suspect caught on the video can be seen behind the counter of the Liquors 4 Us store in La Porte, after he had just beaten and tied up the liquor store manager. That's when a clerk from the convenience store next door walks in to check on the store manager. Suddenly he's staring down a barrel of a gun. When he tries to run, he's caught and pulled around on the floor up one aisle and down another.
"When he told me to get on the ground, I thought he'd take the money and go. And then he came over and said, 'You want to play huh,'" said victim Oscar Alaya.
On Friday, Alaya was back at work. The memories of Thursday morning play like a loop with every detail still fresh.
"I thought he was gonna shoot both of us. He said, 'You're both dead,' and then I though I heard two shots, but it was only one," said Alaya.
The manager of the liquor store was shot once in the lower arm; he's recuperating at home. The robber got away without taking any money because there was none in the safe or register. The images were recorded on the store's security cameras. The only loss was several bottles of liquor broken in the struggle.
Armed robberies are common in cities like Houston; however in La Porte they're considered rare.
"It's a safe neighborhood. Obviously, the guy wasn't from around here," said Manish Cheda of Liquors4Us. "Once he comes back, we'll surely take some more (precautions)."
If you have any information about this crime, you're asked to call police.
