Gunmen ambush Houston check cashing store employees from the inside
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Houston police are requesting help as they attempt to identify and arrest the gunmen who robbed a northside check cashing store.
Surveillance video shows the men holding cashiers at gunpoint, demanding cash last Friday at the 1% Check Cashing store on East Little York at Airline.
"All I was thinking about was my baby, because I'm pregnant. That's all I was thinking about," said one of the cashiers who was forced to the ground as the men pistol whipped one of her managers and began stuffing money into their bags.
"I just decided to stand up and told him, 'I'll give you the rest of the money but just don't hurt us,'" she said.
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In a matter of minutes, the men stashed thousands in cash into their bags and fled, warning the cashiers not to get up off the floor to follow.
The store is in a new strip center. There is no tenant in the space next door. Police say the gunmen got inside the check cashing business by entering that unoccupied space, and then bashing a hole through the drywall between the two spaces to get back into the secure area where the cashiers and money are.
Only later did employees at the check cashing store realize how the gunmen got in: the hole in the wall allowed access through the men's bathroom, which is located back behind the area the public can normally access. According to surveillance video, they were inside the bathroom, waiting, as the employees opened for business.
Investigators describe the suspects as two Hispanic men, the first is 5'9" to 5'10". He was wearing a gray hoodie, blue jeans and red shoes. He was referred to as "JJ" by the second gunman.
That second man is described only as 5'8" to 5'10" and was wearing a black coat and dark blue jeans. They sped off in a four door sedan, possibly a Chevy Malibu.
If you know anything you can contact Crime Stoppers at (713) 222-TIPS. You can qualify for a total reward of up to $15,000.
You can also make an anonymous tip on their website at www.crime-stoppers.org.
