KHOU Video Bonus
Burrito justice: Freebird's staff and customers take down a robber in dramatic incident
A Freebird's World Burrito on Westheimer dished out a serious beatdown on Tuesday when restaurant staffers and diners foiled the plans of a brazen purse snatcher.
"One of our customers was just hanging out with her kids, enjoying a meal with some friends," assistant general manager Katie Fletcher tells CultureMap. "All of a sudden, this guys just comes in off the street, grabs her purse and runs off."
"When something like that happens, instinct kicks in and you try to do the right thing without thinking."
Rather than sitting back and watching the drama unfold, the manager and fellow employee Aaron Lunsford bolted after the robber along with victim Elizabeth McGee and a worker from a neighboring restaurant.
"It was just like a mama bear came out in me. You don't do this to people,” McGee tells KHOU, saying that she felt like she was in an episode of Cagney & Lacey.
"In hindsight, maybe we should've thought about it a little longer before chasing after him," Fletcher says. "But when something like that happens, instinct kicks in and you try to do the right thing without thinking."
The posse followed the man to a nearby apartment complex. As luck would have it, a Freebird's regular who lives in the complex just happened to step out of his apartment as the purse snatcher approached.
Chasing after the suspect, victim Elizabeth McGee says she felt like she was in an episode of Cagney & Lacey.
"We see Elliott maybe three or four times a week, but didn't know he lived in those apartments," Fletcher says. "Next thing we know, he knocked the robber to the ground. He sat on him until the police came."
The victim retrieved every stolen item on the spot.
"Freebird's is all about trying to make the world a better place," Fletcher says. "Here at the store, we want to live that out . . . It was definitely a win for the good guys on Tuesday."
Watch the full KHOU report:
