Metro Cell Phone Store Victimized By Umbrella, Purse-Toting Robber

Oklahoma City police are investigating an armed robbery of a local cell phone store. The Metro PCS store on northwest 23rd near Pennsylvania Ave. was robbed Tuesday night. The armed suspect caught store employees and customers off-guard with his unusual cover.

The entire incident was captured on the store's surveillance cameras. The suspect walks into the store with an umbrella. Employee Giselle Vasquez did not think much of it until she saw a gun and he ordered everyone on the floor.             

“We were busy,” said Vasquez. “There were two other girls. We were both with customers and I was helping someone when he said, ‘Get on the floor’."

The frightened employees and customers immediately went to the floor when they saw the gun. The suspect also had a large purse and wore a black hoodie, gray pants and a dark mask. He kept the umbrella close to his face. 

“Obviously in an attempt to conceal his face from cameras,” said Msgt. Gary Knight, Oklahoma City Police Department. “You still get a pretty good look at him as he is robbing the store.”

Police said he demanded employees to take money out of the register and took one employee to the back for cell phones. Vasquez said she was on the floor the entire time.

“To me it felt like the longest time of my life,” said Vasquez. “But it was actually a few minutes.”      

She was too scared to look at the suspect but said he sounded young.

“Maybe in his 20s or so,” said Vasquez “So he was pretty young.”               

Police said the suspect took off on foot with more than $1,100 in cash and four cell phones. No one was harmed.  

“It happened but we are good. That’s good, you know,” said Vasquez. “Everything is just materialistic things, money and phones.”