Robbery suspect leaves Brewingz on North Freeway empty-handed, Houston police say

Mycah Hatfield Image
Monday, July 17, 2023
Brewingz employees forced into freezer during attempted robbery: HPD
There was a heavy police presence at a Brewingz restaurant on the North Freeway a Tidwell in north Houston after reports of a robbery.

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Houston police are looking for a man who forced employees of the Brewingz restaurant in the city's northside into a freezer in the middle of an attempted robbery.

Police got a call about a robbery at about 10:40 a.m. on Monday in the 5300 block of the North Freeway at Tidwell.

Police said the suspect entered the restaurant's front doors with a pistol.

Surveillance video shows an employee prepping to open. She walks out of view of the camera, and less than 10 seconds later, she is in a huddle walking with her coworkers toward the freezer with the masked armed robber holding the weapon to their heads.

While the employees were in the freezer, the suspect went into the manager's office, according to police.

The suspect is seen on surveillance video going straight for the bag used to transport money to the bank. It was empty, but he left with it nonetheless.

Employees said they exited the freezer as a group, not knowing where the robber was or what he was doing, and called 911. At that point, the robber had fled the area.

When SkyEye arrived at the scene at about 11 a.m., police had rifles drawn. Within a few minutes, officers retreated and were seen going into the restaurant.

As for the employees, police said they are uninjured.

The suspect was described as a heavy-set Hispanic man wearing a black Yellowstone hoodie.

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