El Ranchito taqueria in SW Houston broken into 5 days after fatal shooting, surveillance video shows

Tuesday, January 10, 2023
Houston taqueria robbed days after another suspect shot to death there
Five days after a deadly shooting inside El Ranchito #4 on S. Gessner, an armed robbery took place after a man was caught on camera breaking in.

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Just five days after a would-be robber was killed by a customer inside a southwest Houston taqueria, another incident happened, but this time surveillance video shows it was a break-in.

El Ranchito #4 on S. Gessner and Bellaire was hit again, hours after the controversial deadly shooting was referred to a grand jury.

The owner told ABC13 that his cameras captured a man forcing his way into the taqueria on Tuesday at about 2:45 a.m., stealing money and damaging equipment.

Footage shows a man in a mask using what looks like a crowbar to force the door open and go inside.

"When I got here, I looked at the video and I saw the man break into the games and the register," Pedro Lopez, the owner, said in Spanish.

Video shows the thief then makes his way inside, cracking open three gambling machines and stealing money. Video then shows the man make his way over to the cash register.

Lopez estimates the man stole a couple hundred dollars, and his front door was damaged once again.

It was last week that the glass to his taqueria's window was shattered after a shooting left a robbery suspect dead and a customer now claiming self-defense.

"I'm happy that they didn't put charges against him right now. He continues forward and God takes care of him and protects him. Thanks to him, they didn't take the money. The bad thing is the death," he said.

Lopez's gaming machines are ruined, and his register is empty. He is left questioning why.

"I don't know if it's against me. I just don't know," Lopez said. "I think we need to come out ahead of it and move forward. Keep working until someone else comes to rob us."

The robbery was reported to Houston police and the shop stayed open despite the incident.

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