Video: Masked thug holds children at gunpoint in toy store, steals cash; clerk says he 'prayed to God to help me because it was life or death'

A masked robber was caught on surveillance video holding children and a few adults at gunpoint in an Arizona toy store before stealing cash and running off.

What are the details?

The April 16 incident at Teddy Bears El Paraiso in Mesa was reported Friday by KPHO-TV while KSAZ-TV reported the incident Thursday.

Surveillance video from Silent Witness shows a few adults in the store and three kids playing in one of the aisles when the gunman entered around 1:30 p.m. and ordered customers into a corner, KPHO reported, adding that the children and adults all put their hands up.

Image source: YouTube screenshot

The robber also is seen standing in front of the register where he demands cash, KPHO said, adding that the clerk handed over a wad of cash before the robber departed without physically harming anyone.

The suspect is described as a man in his mid to late 20s, standing 5-feet-7-inches to 5-feet-9-inches tall, and weighing between 150 and 160 pounds, KPHO said, adding that he was wearing blue jeans, a long-sleeved orange shirt, a black baseball cap, a black head mask, a red banana, a black glove on his left hand, and gray sneakers with a white stripe.

Store manager Eliseo Francisco told KPHO the trauma of the robbery hits him every time he clocks in: “I get nervous. I don’t feel safe. You can tell when someone has the intention to do a lot of harm. I saw that in his eyes.”

Image source: YouTube screenshot

What's more, Francisco told KPHO his 9-year-old son was with him behind the register during the robbery: “When he pointed the gun at me, I knew he would shoot me if I didn’t give him what he wanted. At that moment, I prayed to God to help me because it was life or death."

KPHO said the suspect is still on the loose and made off with at least $800.

“I would feel more calm when he’s arrested and not able to do this again,” Francisco added to KPHO.

Mesa Police Sergeant Jamey Cox told KSAZ-TV the suspect "showed a handgun to kids in the middle of the afternoon in a toy store. So to us, he’s dangerous, he’s armed, and we need to find him."

Anyone with information about the case is asked to call Silent Witness at 480-WITNESS, KPHO added.

Armed robber steals cash from Mesa toy storeyoutu.be

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