A Los Angeles County Deputy Sheriff who happened to walk into a 7-Eleven that was being held up by four armed robbers is speaking out about the harrowing ordeal.
The attempted robbery, which was captured on the convenience store’s security cameras, unfolded on Jan. 13 around 1:30 a.m. at a 7-Eleven at the intersection of Victoria Street and Avalon Boulevard in Carson.
“When I stopped by, I saw a vehicle that was already parked there and it felt kind of strange,” Deputy Luis Cisneros told KTLA’s Rachel Menitoff. “I tried looking inside the windows, but I couldn’t see much because of the advertisements. Once I opened the door, that’s when I knew there was an armed robbery in progress.”
In the security footage, three armed men stormed the store, jumping over the counter and threatening two 7-Eleven clerks no more than a minute before the deputy stopped by at the end of his shift to get a drink and check in. A fourth suspect entered through a side door.
“I was surprised that as soon as I opened the door, the robbery was in progress,” Cisneros said, adding that his training immediately kicked into high gear.
The deputy is seen in the video stepping inside the convenience store, quickly pulling out his service weapon and radioing for backup.
Sergio Flores, one of the two clerks on shift that morning, recalls the terrifying moment he realized they were being robbed. He dropped to the floor immediately and remembered thinking, “I’m done. Maybe they’re going to shoot me. Everything happened so fast, and they were screaming.”
As the deputy entered the store and yelled for the thieves to put their hands up, Flores recalled the relief at hearing the man’s voice.
“When I saw him come in, I realized somebody’s come to save us,” he said.
More backup deputies eventually arrived at the scene and the four suspects were taken into custody.
As for Cisneros, the danger of the situation was not lost on him, saying the incident could have gone a lot of different ways. The first thing he did once the attempted robbery was peacefully resolved was call his wife.
“I told her I love her and just kind of kept talking to her about the scenario because we all have those kinds of what-if moments,” he said. “What if I would’ve parked somewhere else, what if I would’ve done something differently, but thankfully I’m blessed of the outcome.”
Within the last week, there have been seven robberies at 7-Eleven stores across Los Angeles and Long Beach, though authorities have not said whether they believe this attempted robbery may be related to the others.