DENHAM SPRINGS — A young woman is counting her blessings after what should have been just another day at work turned into the woman held at gunpoint and robbed of money for the restaurant.
It was around 11:20 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 14th when the employee, whose name UWK is choosing not to release, made a run to a bank and was returning to Off The Hook in Denham Springs. The entire incident was captured on a security camera (footage is above).
The video shows the employee parked her car and a man in a black pickup truck made a round in the same parking lot before reversing his truck into a spot. While he was reversing, the employee is seen on video walking toward the business. After he finishes parking, he’s seen running behind the employee wearing all black.
“He had shoved me up against the bricks on the side of the wall to try and prevent me from going inside. So I have scuffs on my arm and then a bruise on the top of my arm,” she told UWK.
The employee told UWK she went to the bank so the business had money. She added Denham Springs Police officers told her the same truck and man had been parked at the bank before she arrived.
“The cops said that they looked at the camera footage from the bank, and they said that he was already there before I even went there, so they were more than likely waiting for somebody to come out with a bunch of money. It just happened to me,”
She said she did not notice it but police told her that he followed her from the bank back to Off The Hook. When walking into work, she said everything happened so fast that she did not even have time to comprehend what was happening.
“I forgot that I even had the money on me. I was really just trying to protect myself because at first, when I heard him running up behind me, anytime somebody runs up behind me, it’s usually like a friend or somebody that I know that’s just trying to scare me. So at first, I turned around and smiled at him, and then I realized I have no clue who this man is. And he was dressed in all black and his face was covered. So I was like, ‘This is not right’.”
She said the money bag was on her arm and given the position she was in with the gun in her back, side, chest and the back of her head, it was stuck. But she said he did get roughly $500 from her and ran off. Now, she’s left with just one question: “Why? Like I understand why it was me because I had a bunch of money on me but at the same time, I don’t. I get that times are hard but still, I just want to know why?”
She told UWK it was definitely one of those “you never think it can happen to you until it does” moments. Add to that it was broad daylight, before Noon, in a full parking lot in Denham Springs. Looking back at it, she says she’s just thankful it was not worse.
“I don’t know if the gun was loaded or not but personally, I assume every gun is loaded even if I know it’s not. It was one of those things, he could have shot me right there and then and taken the money a lot easier. If I would have done anything differently, it could have ended differently, you know. I had pepper spray on my keychain but at that time, it wasn’t even a thought because it all happened so fast.”
The employee said she usually does watch her surroundings but this incident has made her more mindful of what’s around her.
“I’ve always been observant of my surroundings but I’m definitely going to be 10 times more observant now.”
Denham Springs PD is leading the investigation into the armed robbery. Anyone with information on the man caught on video is asked to call DSPD or Crime Stoppers at 344-STOP with information on his identity and whereabouts.
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