BEAUMONT- by Haley Bull
Surveillance video is giving a new view on how two men robbed a Dollar General store in Beaumont and held its employees and customers at gunpoint.
"Freaked us out, you know, 'cuz you never know what somebody gonna do," Johen Jones said. "Well I never thought nobody would rob a big 'ole store like this."
Jones said his son was working at the store on 11th St. when two men walked through the front door Wednesday night.
"He calls us up, he's like, uh, they just robbed the store. I don't want mamma to come pick me up, you pick me up. So I came over here," Jones said.
Video from security cameras inside and outside the store shows two men shopping before bringing diapers to the register.
All of the sudden, they pull out guns.
Police said one gunman orders an employee to the register. He takes money from there and from a safe, and puts it into a cloth bag. The other gunman stands guard, makes people lie on the floor as they enter and takes money from two customers.
"In fact during the robbery one of the guys that was standing cover at the door, kind of watching, seeing who was coming and going, saw a lady attempt to come in, she saw what was going on, tried to run back to her vehicle, she had family members in the car, he gave chase, he was able to get her and the two people in the car to come back in at gunpoint and put them on the floor," Beaumont Police Officer Carol Riley said.
Eventually, the two men leave and no one is hurt.
"We just want to remind people that you never know what you might walk into it, it could happen anywhere so we want you to be aware of your surroundings, be very vigilant," Riley said.
Riley said the key is to stay calm and go along with the demands of the robber.
"You have to pick your battles, you have to decide whether or not money or property or material things are worth fighting and putting yourself and other people's lives at risk," Riley said.
Police said witnesses described the first gunman as short and stocky, wearing a gray hoodie with and LSU emblem on the front. He also had on dark pants, dark gloves and a face mask. He was holding a black semi-automatic handgun.
Police said witnesses described the second man as also wearing a black hoodie, dark pants, a face mask and carrying a gun.
If you were inside the story, police ask you to come forward. If you have any information about the crime, call Crimestoppers at 833-TIPS. Operators won't ask for your name and you could earn a cash reward of up to $1,000.
