Two men conducted a coordinated robbery on the Tacos La Rueda restaurant in Bellflower, LA on Tuesday afternoon. Even though there were several customers present, the perpetrators managed to make off with a cash register and around $1,000. Thankfully, no one was hurt during the robbery, though it was caught on surveillance camera. In a bid to help catch the criminals, the owners of the Mexican restaurant have released the footage to the public.
The footage opens inside of the restaurant, and shows a couple of patrons sat at a table enjoying a meal and a couple of customers stood up near the counter area. However, two men — one in a black hoodie and one in a multi-colored blue hoodie, both with their hoods up — can be seen loitering at the entrance. As the clip was recorded via security camera, there is no discernible audio at the beginning, but there is some spliced footage at the end that does contain audio.
The man in the blue hoodie saunters over to the counter in an attempt to look as inconspicuous as possible. Suddenly, he grabs the cash register sat on the counter and makes a run for it. Meanwhile, the accomplice is stood at the entrance holding the door open to help the robbery go as smoothly as possible. The footage then switches to a different camera, which changes the perspective. You can even see a young toddler sat at the table while the robbery takes place.
Accompanying the clip is some additional context that reads, “It’s already hard as it is in this economy, and things like this happen. 💔💔💔 Be on the lookout, if you’re near or around Bellflower for people like this. Families inside the restaurant during the day and people like this still don’t care🤦 we’re glad no one!!! Be careful out there 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽”
Rounding out the footage is a photo of a grey Mercedes vehicle, which the perpetrators used to evade the scene, and even an alleged TikTok account of one of the robbers as well. A brief video of said TikToker ends the clip, with the alleged suspect dangerously wielding a pistol while driving.
As expected, comments came flooding in denouncing the actions of the thieves. “I knew as soon as I saw him walk in the door. A hoody in LA, come on man” wrote one commenter, while another chipped in with, “Two youngsters walking in like that wearing the hoods over their head. Their body language tells you something about to go down.” A third Redditor added, “No mask… damn these kids are dumb as rocks“
This is allegedly the third robbery the Tacos La Rueda restaurant has been the target of since opening in 2023. Lakewood Sheriff’s Station continues to appeal to the public for any leads or information on the incident.
