Disturbing surveillance footage shows the moment frightened children raised their hands in the air after a gunman broke into an Arizona teddy bear store.
The incident took place at Teddy Bears El Paraiso in Mesa on a busy Sunday afternoon in April, allowing the thief to escape with around $800, the store manager, who is still being pursued by the crime, told AZ Family.
He just released the footage for the first time.
During the robbery, the suspect took a pistol from his waistband and ordered those present, including children, to put their hands in the air and go to the corner of the store.
Video showed a cashier handing money to the gunman and another man entering the store, not knowing what was happening. The shooter immediately ordered him to join the others in the corner.
Video showed the robber growing impatient as he pulled the cash register, spilling coins over the counter, then grabbed a stack of bills and disappeared. The AZ Family report states that in addition to selling toys, the store also offers a service that allows people to send money to other countries.
The suspect initially sent customers to the corner of the store
The suspect then demanded money from the branch manager, who worked behind the cash register
The incident happened here at Teddy Bear El Paraiso in Mesa, Arizona, which is considered one of the safest cities in the United States
‘I’m getting nervous. i don’t feel safe You can tell when someone intends to do great harm. “I saw that in his (suspect’s) eyes,” said store manager Eliseo Francisco
In addition to selling teddy bears, the store also offers a money transfer service
‘I’m getting nervous. i don’t feel safe You can tell when someone intends to do great harm. “I saw that in his (the suspect’s) eyes,” store manager Eliseo Francisco told AZ Family.
Francisco said his 9-year-old son was with him behind the counter when the incident happened.
“When he pointed the gun at me, I knew that if I didn’t give him what he wanted, he would shoot me.” At that moment, I prayed to God for help because it was a matter of life or death,” he added he added.
When the manager handed over all his cash, the suspect demanded more.
Mesa Police Sgt. Jamey Cox agreed with Francisco’s description of events.
“It was a scary moment … He showed the kids a gun in a toy store in the middle of the afternoon. So to us he’s dangerous, he’s armed and we need to find him,” the officer told Fox Phoenix.
The manager believes that they have been targeted by a criminal because of the money transfer services he offers. He added that staff usually don’t have a lot of cash in the register.
The suspect remains at large. He was described as male, mid to late 20s, five to five feet tall and weighing between 150 and 160 pounds. He was wearing blue jeans, a long-sleeved orange shirt, a black baseball cap, a black head mask, a red bandana and a black glove on his left hand, and gray sneakers with white stripes. He was armed with a pistol.
Anyone with information about the suspect is asked to contact police at (480) 948-6377.
None of the children in the store were physically injured in the robbery.
Francisco said he took new security measures after the robbery, including installing a barrier at the checkout and a new bell on the door. “I would feel calmer if he was arrested and no longer able to do it,” he also said.
According to the Mesa Police Department, the suburb is one of the safest in the United States, and the current crime rate is the lowest in the city’s history.