Shot Fired In Robbery; 1 Arrested, 2 Missing
Nearby Soccer Camp Locked Down As Police Investigated
POSTED: 12:06 pm PDT June 23,
2009
UPDATED: 6:19 pm PDT June 23,
2009
PORTLAND, Ore. -- A man fired a shotgun at employees during a robbery before employees tackled him and held him for police Tuesday morning, police said.Two armed gunman entered La Tapatia a market in the 18300 block of Southeast Stark Street just before 11 a.m. Tuesday, police said.Angela Alvarez was working at La Tapatia when the men entered, pointed guns at her and demanded money."We thought at first that they were playing around but no it was actually for real so we just gave them the money and they ran through the back," Alvarez said. "It's crazy. Hopefully this never happens again."Employees and customers chased the gunmen and as they reached the rear loading area one of the gunmen fired at an employee with a shotgun, police said. The employee wasn't injured and he wrestled the shotgun away from the robber with help from several other people and they held the man until officers arrived, police said."I waited, then took the shotgun like this. Then we jumped him and waited for the police," said store manager Mauricio Avarez.The second robber managed to get out and ran to a white four-door sedan that was described as either a Honda or Nissan and drove east on Southeast Stark, police said.A summer soccer camp was being conducted nearby at Portland Lutheran School and parents and children heard the gunshot and watched as the second robber ran from the store, police said.Camp coordinators quickly gathered the parents and 250 children who were attending the camp in a corner of the field until it was safe, police said."My first reaction was to go over and assist there, but then I thought, 'No, I should take care of the kids here,'" church pastor Dennis Bohren said.The robber who escaped is described as a Hispanic of light-skinned man in his 20s wearing a long-sleeve shirt, dark pants and a blue baseball cap with the letters "BB" on the front, police said.There was also a third man driving the vehicle but there is no description of the driver.
Shot Fired In Robbery; 1 Arrested, 2 Missing
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