It was just an hour after the store opened for business when surveillance video captured two men -- one of them carrying an assault rifle -- as they entered the store, locked the front doors, and then approached two cashiers, demanding cash from the register and safe.
Detectives say the men then threatened the women, inappropriately touching one of them and directing sexual remarks to the other.
They took an undisclosed amount of cash before fleeing. They're still on the run.
Customer Juventina Marin and her three daughters were at the store last week and heard about the robbery.
"We're usually in here once a week or so," Marin said. "It worries me anywhere, just to know that you go to any store and to think someone's going to walk in with guns. And with the kids."
Apparently, this store has been hit several times before, along with others.
"I know [thieves have] been robbing a lot of places in this area -- Cash of America, Auto Zone," customer Rachel Gonzalez said.
One Family Dollar employee detailed a recent encounter with a robbery suspect who walked in, carrying a machete. The employee said the suspect threatened to slice her head off if she didn't hand over money.
A spokesperson for Family Dollar gave a statement over the phone Sattursday, saying, "We are working with police and are always working to ensure the safety of our customers and our employees in our stores."
For now, customers say they will shop with their children near them and demand more protection in the cluster of shops to end scenarios like this in their neighborhood stores.
Police said the first suspect is described as a black male in his late teens or early 20s. He was between 5 feet 5 inches and 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighed 200-220 pounds.
Officials said he was wearing a light blue McDonald's work shirt and yellow SpongeBob SquarePants cartoon pajama pants. This suspect was armed with the assault rife.
The second suspect was a black man, also in his late teens to early 20s. He was shorter and thinner -- between 5 feet 3 inches and 5 feet 5 inches tall and around 140-150 pounds.
Officials said he had dreadlocks and a dark complexion, and he was wearing a white long-sleeved hooded shirt with black Jordan shorts and black Jordan shoes.
Surveillance cameras captured the robbery suspects. If you recognize either of them, you are urged to call Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.
Crime Stoppers will pay up to $5,000 for any information called in to the tips hotline or submitted online at www.crime-stoppers.org that leads to the identification, charging or arrest of the suspects in this case.
Tips can also be sent by text message. Just text TIP610 plus your tip to CRIMES (274637).
All tipsters remain anonymous.
