A Food Town employee says the daring daylight heist is keeping customers away. “Of course, people are not coming here,” she told KHOU 11. “People are scared.”
PEARLAND, Texas — Pearland police are asking for the public’s help identifying five masked suspects who carried out a daring smash-and-grab robbery at a jewelry store inside a Food Town. In video you’ll see only on KHOU 11, one brave customer tried to stop them with a grocery cart.
The robbery on Tuesday, July 22, may be connected to a similar crime at an H-E-B in League City.
Surveillance video shows the suspects wearing masks and armed with a hammer, shattering display cases and grabbing thousands of dollars worth of jewelry in a matter of seconds.
“There’s a big trauma we face,” said one employee, who asked not to be identified.
The employee said the group destroyed five showcases during the heist, causing significant financial damage to the store.
“I cannot tell you how much merchandise they took,” she said. “It was a lot of money.”
Security footage captured a tense moment when a customer tried to intervene. The bystander launched a grocery cart into one of the masked suspects as he ran, knocking him down and into a nearby sign.
Despite the effort, police said all five suspects got away in a black Genesis SUV.
More than a week later, store staff say the incident is still having a major impact on business and employee morale.
“Of course, people are not coming here,” the employee said. “People are scared.”
The Food Town is now considering heightened security measures.
“We are going to do security — or maybe bulletproof glass will be more helpful for us,” she added.
Anyone with information is urged to contact the Pearland Police Department tip line at 281-997-4211.
Investigators say they are exploring the possibility that this robbery may be linked to a similar smash-and-grab that occurred at an H-E-B in League City. It happened around 5:05 p.m. Monday, July 28, on the Gulf Freeway.