SACRAMENTO, Calif. — An armed robbery at a popular taco stand in Sacramento has left employees rattled and customers outraged.
Surveillance footage of the robbery, released by the owner, reveals a cashier being pistol-whipped during the incident.
The robbery took place Monday night at Chando's Tacos, a neighborhood staple on Arden Way. It's where owner, Lisandro Madrigal, has operated for over a decade without witnessing such a violent crime.
In the video, the armed assailant is seen striking the employee multiple times before yanking the cash register off the counter and running away.
Madrigal said the employee had to seek medical attention at a local hospital after the incident.
“I think everybody's a little shaken up,” Madrigal said.
Madrigal said he tells his employees that the money isn’t worth risking their safety.
“Let them take it. Take whatever they want; it’s not worth protecting a measly few bucks when our lives are worth more,” he said.
Witnesses to the event described the suspect as a thin man, approximately 5'6" tall, with light skin and green eyes. He's believed to be in his late teens to early twenties.
Madrigal decided to share the surveillance video publicly in hopes of identifying the perpetrator.
“He hurt somebody; I want this person caught. It’s not cool,” he said.
As detectives from the Sacramento robbery unit continue their investigation, loyal customers have rallied around the taco stand, expressing their sadness over the incident and urging others to spread the word to help apprehend the suspect.
“It breaks our heart to see something like that happen,” one customer said.
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