Lauderhill Police Searching For Group Of Armed Robbers
Follow CBSMIAMI.COM: Facebook | Twitter
LAUDERHILL (CBSMiami) – Police in Lauderhill say they need the public's help to catch a group of armed robbers who threatened workers at a beauty store at gunpoint and made them fork over money, personal items and expensive merchandise.
The employees say they were getting ready to close up the Beauty Exchange on 441 in Lauderhill on Thursday night around 9 pm. That's when four men walked in and violently changed everyone's plans.
Surveillance cameras at the Beauty Exchange in Lauderhill captured the thieves entering the store and Lauderhill Police say the men walked around and appeared to be shopping. One guy even placed a bottle of shampoo on a counter and appeared to make small talk with an employee. But a few minutes later, the men pulled out guns.
CLICK HERE To Watch Carey Codd's Report
One worker appeared to struggle with one of the thieves and was led to a back area. Other armed robbers gathered employees together, barked orders at them and made one worker open a cash register at gunpoint.
Then the men were gone.
One worker, who did not want show his face and asked that we call him "Sam", said one of the bad guys threatened to kill him.
"He pulled the gun on me and asked me if I wanted to live," Sam said.
Sam showed us the wound he received during the attack.
"He hit me with the gun on the back of my head, lay me down on the floor facing the ground, had the gun at my head," Sam said.
A reporter asked him, "Did you think you were going to die last night?"
Sam said, "Yes, sir."
Sam said he never imagined anything like this could happen.
"I was scared," he said. "I told him that I have a son and wife and that they would be homeless."
Mohamad Muntaser owns the Beauty Exchange. He said they've never been robbed in 12 years of business. He also said the thieves hurt the community because the business gives back with special sales for the less fortunate and food giveaways at the holidays.
"For somebody to come over here and try to take from us, money that we have to give to the community, it's a real shame," Muntaser said. "It's like, what's the world coming to?"
Sam and the other employees were back to work on Friday and they hope someone in the community sees this video and turns these guys in.
"I don't want nobody to go through what I went through last night," Sam said.
The police say it is imperative to catch these armed thieves. If you know who they are you can call Crimestoppers at (954) 493-TIPS. You can remain anonymous and you could be eligible for a reward.