Rifles, handguns shoved in the face of liquor store customer

LAUDERDALE LAKES – Walking out of a liquor store turned into a frightening ordeal for a man who found himself staring down the barrels of a couple of long rifles and handguns pointed at him by men who jumped out of a nearby car.

The chilling incident happened about 7:15 p.m. May 12 as the customer was leaving J & L Liquors, 3875 NW 19th St., in Lauderdale Lakes. Investigators with the Broward Sheriff ’s Office released security surveillance video from cameras mounted outside the store in the hopes of identifying those involved including the victim who was gone when deputies arrived.

In the video, the customer walks out of the store and is quickly rushed by three heavily armed men who jump out of a Volvo sedan and pin him to the ground while, according to the sheriff’s office, they search him for valuables. A fourth man, who is apparently wearing a heavy winter parka with a furry hood, gets out of the Volvo and seems to remove something from the victim’s car, a light-colored or silver four-door sedan.

Meanwhile, as the three armed men try to scramble back to the Volvo, they stumble and drop personal items multiple times, including one of the rifles.

During the incident, another customer peers out of the liquor store’s front door and quickly closes it again.

When the gunman are back at the Volvo, the warmly dressed fourth man walks up to the victim and has him empty his pockets, the sheriff ’s office said.

“The robber stole the victim’s cash and confidently walked back to his car,” agency spokeswoman Gina Carter said.

Investigators ask anyone with information about this incident to contact Broward Sheriff ’s Office Robbery Detective Armando Enrique at 954-321-4233. Tips can also be made anonymously to Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-8477 or online at browardcrimestoppers.org. Tips that lead to an arrest are eligible for a reward of up to $3,000.