Thieves rob smoke shop in NW Houston for second time in a week
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Twice in less than a week, three masked men rushed inside a northwest Houston business.
On Monday, the three men entered before closing and held a clerk at gunpoint while demanding the code to the safe. However, she didn't know it.
"I can't! I don't know it! I don't know it!" she was heard screaming on surveillance video.
The robbers left with cash and merchandise after giving up on the safe, but it appears they came back.
"Before I even answered the phone, I looked at my fiancé, and I said, 'Look at the cameras. I think we got robbed again,'" owner Kasandra Kaplan said.
The new surveillance shows three men pry open the back door, bending it to get inside.
Moments later, they run out. This time they carried the entire safe with them.
"They're obviously violent criminals with weapons," Kaplan said.
Kaplan installed new cameras after last week's robbery. One is pointed out back showing the silver Dodge Charger driving off with the safe.
There was a cover draped over the license plate.
"I feel like the cops aren't taking it seriously," Kaplan said.
She said police didn't seem too alarmed even after her employee had a gun to her head. She thinks it's because her business is a smoke shop.
"I feel like if this was a bakery, they would have probably found the people," Kaplan said. "I'm like, do I have to come sleep in my store in order to catch these guys? Do I have to like actually be here and shoot them?"
The business is offering a reward for information leading to arrests. They're hoping the situation doesn't escalate first.
"They have obviously done this before and they're probably going to do this again. And if someone reacts the wrong way, somebody's probably doing to end up getting killed," Kaplan said.
