Robbers Hit Steve's Pizza In Palmetto Bay
MIAMI (CBS4) - For the second time in less than a week, a popular pizza joint has been targeted by crooks.
"It was kind of scary. I mean they have three guns and you have one. And you don't know what's going to happen," said Alexis Pena, owner of Steve's Pizza in Palmetto bay.
Pena said Sunday night three armed men, dressed in black, stormed his place at 18063 S. Dixie Highway.
"I'm so nervous and disappointed that this happened," Pena told CBS4's Peter D'Oench. He said it was the first time in the 14 years that he has owned the restaurant that he has been robbed.
"They came from back there," said Pena, pointing at his back door. "And they came over to the cash register."
"They said don't even move," said Pena. "They said give me your money. And that's what we did. We didn't want to get hurt."
But Pena chased the gunmen out his back door.
"I started running back here to see if they got in a car or something and the guy saw me and he shot," said Pena. "And then I returned the fire back."
"How many shots did you fire?" asked D'Oench. "Nine," Pena replied.
"How many shots did they fire?" asked D'Oench. "Two," said Pena.
"You wanted to send them a message?" asked D'Oench. "Yeah," I sure did," said Pena. "I sure did."
"Thank God nobody got hurt," Pena said.
Pena told D'Oench that he does have surveillance cameras but the suspects were not captured on tape because his system is broken.
Police set up a perimeter in the area, but the bad guys got away. Pena told D'Oench they took about $1500 in cash.
There is a limited description of the gunmen because they were wearing masks. "They were short and skinny," said Pena. "They were only about 5'3" to 5'5" tall, he said.
Last week, two masked men stormed into the kitchen area of Casola's Pizza at 2437 S.W. 17th Avenue in Miami as employees prepared for closing time.
On surveillance video from inside the restaurant at the time of the robbery you see one man enter the kitchen and point a gun at 62-year-old employee James McCabe. McCabe can be seen backing away but seconds later, a second man attacks McCabe who falls to the ground; the second man continuing to slam him in the head.
"He was just standing there. He was like ok. I'm not going to do anything. But they just beat him for no reason," said customer William Pope.
Police said the gunmen were in and out in 25 seconds. They left with absolutely nothing because the safe was behind a locked door.
Casola's owners did not want to comment on the robbery but they said McCabe is recovering and should be fine.
Employees at the store told D'Oench that McCabe has still not returned to work.
People who know anything about either crime are encouraged to call Miami-Dade Crimestoppers at (305) 471-tips (8477). Callers will be kept anonymous and there's a reward of up to $1,000 in each case.
