Three men wearing pantyhose on their heads beat and robbed two liquor store employees early Tuesday, police reported.
The crime occurred just after closing time, about 1:30 a.m., at Royal Liquors, 801 Southwest Blvd.
According to police:
The employees were locking the business when a robber appeared and smashed a brick against one employee's head. That employee fell to the ground, and the other employee ran away.
One robber stayed with the fallen employee as two robbers chased the fleeing employee. The robbers caught that employee, knocked him unconscious and continued to beat and kick him as he lay in the street.
Meanwhile, the first robber ordered the employee who was hit with the brick to open the door. That employee said the other employee had the keys.
The robbers got the keys and a wallet from the unconscious employee in the street and gave the keys to the other employee. That employee opened the store and gave two cash drawers to the robbers, who were continuously saying, 'I have a gun. Do you want to die?'
The robbers fled, dropping one cash drawer.
A woman driving by stopped to help the employee in the street, who she said was bleeding and shaking. She then saw the robbers running across Southwest Boulevard. The woman called police.
The employee in the street later told police he did not remember what happened to him. He was taken to a hospital and released later Tuesday. The employee struck with the brick was treated at the scene by paramedics.
Robbery detectives were reviewing store surveillance videotapes, which recorded the crime.
Christopher Gerlt, store manager, said he believed the robbers knew he had two relatively new employees working the Monday overnight shift.
Gerlt said he believed the robbers were 'neighborhood guys. They didn't have a getaway car. They just ran up the street. I think they saw an opportunity.'
Gerlt said he planned to make several security changes.
'I'm going to look at our alarm system and some procedural things,' he said. 'We want to do everything we can to make sure everyone is safe.'
