Homestead Police Call Subway Clerk A "Hero" While Being Held At Gunpoint
HOMESTEAD (CBSMiami) – Surveillance tape shows some frightening images from a Homestead Subway restaurant as a 21-year-old clerk is held at gunpoint during an attempted robbery.
Homestead Police are hailing that clerk as a "hero" because she went out of her way to alert a second employee about the gunman as she ran from the restaurant. The clerk's manager said she may have saved both of their lives.
"I was actually the person he pointed the gun at," said the clerk. She did not want to give us her name or show all of her face but she told CBS4's Peter D'Oench that she wanted to speak out.
The surveillance tape captured terrifying images of a gunman storming into the restaurant at 3090 Northeast 41st Street at 10 p.m. on Friday, September 20th. That restaurant is just east of the Florida Turnpike on Southwest 288th Street.
The gunman enters the store pointing a semi-automatic, black pistol and says "Give me everything you got." Police describe him as a "white Latin male with dark skin" who is between 180 and 210 pounds and between 5'9" and 5'10" inches tall and is in his early 20s. Police say the gunman appears to be "heavyset."
The clerk told D'Oench she had to make a split second decision before the gunman marches up to and climbs over the counter. He is seen slipping and falling.
"I wasn't near the register," she told D'Oench, "So there was a 50-50 chance. I didn't know what he was going to do with the gun if I did give him the money. Actually I wasn't thinking anything. I just ran out the back door. I froze for a second but the rest of the time, I went to my co worker and told him he has a gun and ran out back."
A third store camera captures the victim alerting the co worker before they both ran out the back door.
Her manager said she was impressed by her actions.
"She actually saved her life and the other employee's life," said the manager, who also did not want to show all of her face and did not want to be identified. "She did a very good job. I'm proud of what she did. I am very proud."
Homestead Police Detective Eric Rodriguez said, "She's a hero, in my opinion, because a lot of times, sometimes in the heat of the moment, many people get nervous and run away. With a firearm like this, there is always the chance it will go off."
When D'Oench told the victim that police had called her a "hero," she said, "I don't feel like a hero. I feel like this was the best way to do it, not to just leave my co worker in there."
Surveillance tape also captured the gunman walking out of the restaurant. Nothing was stolen. No one was hurt. There were no customers in the store at the time.
Police say there's been a marked increase in armed robberies at businesses in Southwest Miami-Dade in the past few years.
"We'd definitely like to catch this person," said Rodriguez. "There have been similar instances of armed robberies in Southwest Miami-Dade. He's definitely a danger to this community and we would like to see this person behind bars."
"I am going to be even more observant," said the victim. "I really hope they can tell who this person is through the surveillance tape so he can stop. Our lives were in danger. This was a real gun. We could have been shot by mistake."
The victim said she's only been working at the Subway restaurant for three months.
"I took the day off after this happened but then I went back to work," she said. She said she had no intention of leaving her job. Her manager said this was the first time that there was an armed robbery at her store.
Detective Rodriguez says if you can help them solve this case, call Homestead Police or Miami-Dade Crimestoppers at (305) 471-tips (8477).
Callers can be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000 and they will remain anonymous.
