HOUSTON — Some north Houston business owners believe the same man is behind two recent violent robberies.
They said he robbed a tire shop last week and yesterday beat a worker at a car accessories shop.
The man was caught on video hitting his victims, even as they tried to comply.
Around 2:30 p.m. on March 29, the man posed as a customer asking about getting new tires on his truck at EntireX Tire and Wheel in northeast Houston.
That's when he attacked one of the store's clerks and put a gun to her head.
The entire robbery only lasted three minutes and the attacker reportedly got away with $2,000, phones and other items. The attacker was seen getting into a white Ford truck with blacked-out windows and two other men waiting inside.
The victims were owner Myke Hastings' brother and wife. He found out what happened while he was working on cars out in the garage.
"My wife doesn’t want to come in anymore," Hastings said. "That’s another thing, employee or family it doesn’t matter, this isn’t a place they attribute to safety anymore.”
He said his employees now congregate in greater numbers in the store and anytime a potential customer suspiciously backs into the parking lot, he's on alert.
"Even three or four seconds are enough time to react to save your life or save you from being the next victim," Hastings said.
The story doesn't end here, though.
Across the freeway, just five minutes before the attack on March 29, the same man was caught on surveillance video at Exclusive DTS, a car accessories shop.
He's seen walking around the store before leaving in the white Ford truck seen at Hastings' shop.
Monday morning, Exclusive DTS owner Luis Sanchez said the same man showed up again, but this time the only other person in the store was a woman working behind the desk.
"He hit Angie, she’s our secretary, she’s our front desk, she’s bleeding and her fingers are broken,” Sanchez said.
She was taken to the hospital and had to get staples in her head from her injuries. After attacking the secretary, the attacker took off.
Now, both of the store's owners are hoping the violent robber is found quickly, because his next victim may not be as lucky.
"He got away with $2,000, we got away with our life," said Hastings.