An armed masked robber who stormed a Texas taqueria demanding money was stopped by a patron who brandished his own gun, fatally shot the suspect, and handed the cash back to shaken diners, police said.
Houston police are seeking to speak with that patron who foiled the robbery on Thursday.
The incident took place at the El Ranchito #4 taqueria in the 6000 block of South Gessner Road in Houston around 11:30 p.m.
Officers were called to the restaurant for a shooting and found the robbery suspect, wearing all black clothing, a black ski mask and gloves, “shot multiple times inside the business,” police said in a news release.
He was pronounced deceased by paramedics. The identification of the suspect, believed to be a man in his 20s, is pending verification by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences, police said.
Witnesses told officers that the suspect had barged into the restaurant and pointed a pistol at diners demanding their money.
As he was collecting the money, one of the patrons, described as a white or Hispanic male, “produced a gun of his own and shot the suspect multiple times,” police said.
The patron then collected the stolen money from the suspect, and returned it to the other diners, police said. He and other diners then fled the scene.
Houston police are asking for the public’s help in identifying the patron and want to talk to him about “his role in the shooting.” Police noted no charges have been filed.
Investigators shared a photo of the man, seen wearing a T-shirt, jeans, and glasses with what appears to be a pistol in his hand.
They also shared a photo of his vehicle, a 1970s or ‘80s model pickup truck with no bed.
An attorney representing the diner who shot the suspect has contacted Houston police to set up a time for him to come in and talk to investigators, NBC affiliate KPRC of Houston reported Sunday, citing police.
This story first appeared on NBCNews.com.