HOUSTON — Recent immigrant Maria Ruiz helps prepare a vast array of international dishes inside the cramped interior of a taco truck near Beechnut and Wilcrest but she was recently forced to serve up more than food.
"This experience is really horrible," Ruiz said in Spanish. "I’ve never had a gun pointed at me.”
HPD’s robbery division posted video to social media on Tuesday after running down leads internally.
It shows a male passenger arriving in a silver sedan before strolling up to Ruiz’s truck and entering through a normally locked door. What you don't see is him placing the gun to Ruiz’s stomach while yelling commands.
"He said give me the money and he took my purse, cell phone and all of my stuff,” Ruiz said.
Ruiz was robbed days before the recent murder of Roberto Garza who was found shot multiple times outside of his taco truck off the Gulf Freeway. Police believe the 29-year-old father of three small children was killed during a robbery by a suspect who was out on bond.
It's among a string of crimes targeting food trucks.
"I feel safe in Houston but not as safe,” Ruiz said.
Ruiz came here from Nicaragua to primarily escape political oppression.
Now, she’s counting on our justice system to hold her alleged robbers accountable.
"I hope they get arrested," Ruiz said. "I’m working for a better life but somebody comes to take advantage of me.”
The silver sedan turned out to be stolen and was later found unoccupied in another neighborhood.
Call HPD or Crime-Stoppers with any information.