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Sunday, June 21, 2009
'It Was Chaos'
By Lloyd Jojola
Journal Staff Writer
As many as four armed robbers invaded a Denny's restaurant on Albuquerque's West Side on Saturday morning, shooting and killing a teenage female restaurant employee while demanding money.
"It was just chaos," a waitress told the Journal. "They told everybody to get on the floor. When the guy ran to the back and the gun went off, people got on the floor."
The victim, identified as a cook by other staff, was not named by police, pending notification of next of kin.
Two suspects were taken into custody — one immediately at the scene and another shortly after at a trailer park on the 9600 block of Central SW. Those two men were booked Saturday night on murder charges and other felonies, Albuquerque police spokeswoman Nadine Hamby said.
Police are still searching for other suspects.
Investigators said as many as four men armed with handguns and rifles walked into the Denny's restaurant at Coors and Iliff NW about 10 a.m. to perform what police believe was a "take-over robbery" when the shooting occurred.
A waitress said she believed two shots were fired.
A string of such robberies — essentially in which the perpetrators force everyone to the ground and take over the whole location — has occurred along Coors. Because of that, detectives and extra officers were conducting a special operation staking out some of the high profile businesses in the area when the robbery occurred. As a result, police were only blocks away and arrived at the robbery scene within seconds.
A waitress who has worked at the restaurant for about 20 years called it an "abnormally busy" day.
"There was probably 100 people in the restaurant," she said.
The masked men — carrying handguns and a "long gun," the waitress believed — told everyone to get on the floor when they came in.
"There was some drinks spilled on the ground, and one of the guys slipped and the gun went off and they shot and killed our cook," she said.
According to a different employee, the cook ran toward the back while a gun was pointed at her. She fled until she ran out of space to hide and was shot, the employee said. Police said the victim was between 17 and 19 years old
"One (offender) was backing up, and he seen me by the register and he told me to get up and open it and he put the gun to the back of my head," the waitress said. "And I told him I can't; it's got a code and only a manager (can open it), and it's key locked.
"I seen the manager standing there, and I told him, 'Please get up and open the register for them.' And he told me to get back on the floor and he opened the register and they got that money.
"And I do believe that they went to the back — I'm not sure that they got the money out of the safe, but I think that they did."
A female patron who was inside the restaurant said she heard a bang, then everyone — children and waiters included — hit the floor.
The patron said her first instinct was to run, but she hit the floor with everyone else.
"It was like a nightmare," she said. "I shut my eyes and started to pray. That's all I could do."
Children were screaming as their parents tried to cover them on the floor, she said.
"Everyone was scared to death," said the woman, who didn't want to be identified.
Police, who arrived quickly, were able to prevent one suspect from leaving the scene and took him into custody.
Meanwhile, a getaway car description was dispatched to officers on the streets, and a detective who had been working on the special operation saw the car and followed it to the trailer park.
Outside the trailer, police took another man into custody, and they believed another might be in the trailer.
Police recovered an M-16 assault rifle during the investigation.
Police believe the same men committed the previous robberies.
"This obviously has been an extremely aggressive group of criminals, and we have seen that in the past and in the actions that they took" Saturday, Police Chief Ray Schultz said. "As our investigation continues, we will be learning a lot more about these individuals.
"What has happened today, this particular robbery, is very concerning to us because it is so different than their other ones, because there was so many people in the restaurant."
A popular meeting place for area residents and regulars, the area was soon taped and blocked off.
Customers, many of whom were scheduled to meet others for breakfast or who are regulars, were left waiting outside the yellow crime scene tape.
"I know all the waitresses," said Del Baca, who said she visits the restaurant each day. "I was painting, that's why I didn't come here (earlier), or I would have been there. Good thing I was painting."
Concerned family and friends of staff also made their way to the location.
"I just jumped out of bed when I got the call and just threw my shoes on and came over," said Rosemary Rosa, whose roommate was working at the restaurant at the time.
Though it sits along the busy Coors corridor, just south of Interstate 40, the area was described by some as quiet.
"I've never seen anything like this," said Theresa Aragon, who watched the investigation aftermath. "It's a very quiet neighborhood. I think they just picked it at random."
Journal staff writers T.J. Wilham and Dan McKay contributed to this report.
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