Houston Crime: Surveillance video shows Yale Street owner Pearle Vision stopping robbery suspects in the Heights

Houston, Texas (KTRK) – A robbery in progress is stopped when a shop owner takes over in the Highlands, and it’s all caught on surveillance video.

Nate Gorman and his wife are small business owners at Pearle Vision on Yale Street near IH-610. Gorman told ABC13 that their store was on target once or twice a week for six weeks. They want the men responsible to be held accountable.

In December, two suspects were seen on surveillance video as they entered the storm. One of the suspects, shown in a white hat, was familiar with the store’s workers, Gorman said.

“I told them I was sick of them ripping us off, and they should leave,” Gorman said.

Gorman reportedly told police that the man in the white hat had been stealing from their business for several weeks, costing them thousands of dollars in losses.

“We are small business owners, and this affects us greatly,” Gorman said.

He said he told the men to leave after recognizing one of them in the white hat. The first suspect left, and his accomplice can be seen in the video in a black beanie ignoring the order and walking over to see the glasses towards the back of the store.

“I was kind of sick of it. So I helped escort him to the front door. He grabbed a bunch of Gucci, and you’ll see on video that the altercation happened,” Gorman said.

Not only did the suspect in the black hat get away with those glasses, he said, but he punched Gorman in the face while pushing him out of the store.

“My family’s financial security is tied to the store,” Gorman said.

Something needed to be done, Gorman told a family and store full of customers and employees, so he pushed the second suspect in a beanie all the way out of his store.

“Obviously they’re desperate. They do it over and over again. So the sooner we get them off the streets, the better, but most importantly, we have to get them off the streets,” Gorman said.

Despite Gorman’s back-to-back burglaries, stats by neighborhood safety tracker ABC13 show that Independence Heights, Melrose, and Graceland have seen a decrease in burglaries in the past three years. Gorman said he and others around Houston feel crime has gone up since the pandemic, and that’s just one of many examples.

Authorities urge you to contact the Crime Stoppers of Houston directly if you have any information related to this investigation. Information leading to the indictment and/or arrest of a felony suspect may result in a cash payment of up to $5,000. Tipsters should contact Crime Stoppers directly to remain anonymous and have cash considered by calling 713-222-TIPS (8477), texting Online adviceor through the Crime Stoppers mobile app.

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