Armed robbery of Teddy Bear store in Mesa, Arizona caught on camera

Disturbing surveillance footage shows the moment terrified children raised their hands after an armed robber broke into an Arizona teddy bear store.

The incident occurred at Teddy Bears El Paraiso in Mesa on a busy Sunday afternoon in April, allowing the thief to make off with about $800, the store’s manager, who is still haunted by the crime, said. A-Z family.

He just released the footage for the first time.

During the robbery, the suspect took a gun from his waistband and ordered those inside, including children, to raise their hands and go to the corner of the store.

Video showed a cashier handing money to the robber with a gun, another man walked into the store without realizing what was happening. The gunman immediately ordered him into the corner with the others.

The video showed the robber growing impatient as he pulled the cash register, spilled coins over the counter, then grabbed a stack of bills and left. The AZ Family report stated that the store not only sells toys, but also offers a service that allows people to send money to other countries.

The suspect then demanded money from the store manager who was working behind the cash register

The incident happened here, at Teddy Bear El Paraiso, in Mesa, Arizona, considered one of the safest cities in the US.

‘I’m getting nervous. I don’t feel safe. You can tell when someone has the intention to do a lot of harm. I saw that in the eyes of his (suspect)’, says store manager Eliseo Francisco

In addition to selling teddy bears, the store also offers a money transfer service

‘I’m getting nervous. I don’t feel safe. You can tell when someone has the intention to do a lot of harm. I saw that in the eyes of his (suspect)’, store manager Eliseo Francisco told AZ Family.

Francisco said his 9-year-old son was behind the counter with him when the incident happened.

“When he pointed the gun at me, I knew he’d shoot me if I didn’t give him what he wanted. At that point I prayed to God to help me because it was life or death,” he added.

When the manager handed over all of his cash, the suspect demanded more.

Mesa Police Sergeant Jamey Cox agreed with Francisco’s description of events.

“It was a scary moment… He showed a gun to kids in the middle of the afternoon, in a toy store. So for us he is dangerous, he is armed and we have to find him,” the officer said Fox Phoenix.

The manager believes that because of the money transfer service he provides, they were targeted by a criminal. He added that, as a rule, staff do not keep much cash in the register.

The suspect remains at large. He has been described as male, mid to late twenties, five to five feet tall, weighing between 150 and 160 lbs. He was wearing blue jeans, an orange long-sleeved shirt, a black baseball cap, a black head mask, a red bandana and black glove on his left hand, and gray sneakers with a white stripe. He was armed with a gun.

Anyone with information about the suspect is asked to contact police at (480) 948-6377.

None of the children in the store were physically injured during the robbery.

Francisco said he took new security measures after the robbery, including installing a barrier at the cash register and a new bell on the door. “I would feel calmer if he was arrested and couldn’t do this again,” he also said.

According to the mesa police, the suburb is one of the safest in the United States with its current crime rate the lowest in the city’s recorded history.