‘It was very scary’: North Miami Beach smoke shop robbed at gunpoint
NORTH MIAMI BEACH, Florida. (FloridaToday.news) — Police are looking for a group of scammers who broke into a tobacconist’s shop in North Miami Beach and robbed the store at gunpoint.
7News spoke to a witness who frequents the mall where the robbery took place on Wednesday afternoon.
“People came into the smokehouse with guns, threatened workers, harmed employees, and robbed the smoker,” she said.
Armed robbers broke into the business, located in the area of Northeast 167th Street and Second Avenue, and detained employees.
“It was very scary,” the witness said.
Surveillance video showed two armed men jumping out of the SUV, one wearing a blue hoodie and the other wearing a mask, and sneaking in through the open rear door.
The witness, who asked not to be identified or show her face on camera, said that the subjects not only robbed the store and damaged the business, but also beat employees.
“They took the cash and pointed their guns at the poor people,” the witness said. “They are just workers; they point a gun at one of the guys’ mouth, hit him over the head with the gun, and destroy the whole back of the store.”
The armed men fled the scene in a black Jeep SUV.
Whatever these armed suspects were doing in the shop, the wholesale tobacco shop owner is closed until next week for renovations.
A witness who spoke to 7News said the incident left her frightened.
“Very scary, it was 5 pm in the middle of the day. It could have happened anywhere and anytime,” she said, “and I was sitting next to you, so imagine if they just shot somebody; it could be anyone.”
Subjects remain at large, while police continue to investigate.
If you have any information about the robbers’ whereabouts, please call North Miami Beach Police at 305-949-5500 or Miami-Dade Crime Squad at 305-471-TIPS. Remember that you can always remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $5,000.
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