Brazen armed robbery in Houston caught on camera
HOUSTON - Disturbing video shows the moment an armed robber pistol-whipped a tire shop employee and put the gun to a female employee’s head.
Myke Hastings, the owner of Entire-X, spoke with FOX 26 about the incident, who said the victims in the video were his wife and his brother.
On Tuesday afternoon, a man walked into Entire-X on Houston’s north side pretending to be a customer.
But moments later, he violently pistol-whipped the man behind the desk.
In the video, you can hear the panic in the victim’s voices as they realized what was happening.
"Give me all the ******* money, all the money, the register, everything. Everything, I don’t give a ****," the armed robber said in the video.
"I have an immense amount of anger inside of me. More than I’ve ever felt before," said Hastings.
Hastings said his brother, who was pistol-whipped, was injured in the incident.
"That split him open pretty good, and as he fell over, he hit him two more times breaking his finger."
Myke was nearby working on a vehicle when the robbery occurred.
"To feel like I was so close, but so far for so long, that breaks me."
After the robber got about $1,000 from the register he demanded the victims’ keys, phones, and wallets.
"When Steven got his wallets he also grabbed his gun, but he wanted to wait for his opportunity because my wife was in the crosshairs," Myke said. "Sometimes compliance is the best strategy, wait your turn. If you get one, great. If you don’t, give them what they want."
When the robber and the victims came back downstairs after getting their wallets, a real customer walked into the business. That’s when Hastings’ wife told him to run.
The armed robber walked out right after and get into a white pickup truck with two other men inside.
We asked Myke what he would say to the robber if he was watching.
"As angry as I am by what happened to my brother and wife, I hope his life gets better. And if he has family, if he has friends, I hope he understands that putting this kind of evil into the world is what’s going to bring it back around to him."
If you have any information on who the armed robbery suspect is, contact authorities or Crime Stoppers.