Thief nabs donation jar from Pasadena restaurant

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Police are looking for a man is accused of stealing from a restaurant and what he ran off with were donations for a good cause.

They are known for their catfish, but team members who workat Sudie's in Pasadena say it's like a family. So when one of their employees' son's was murdered in gang violence in El Salvador, they decided to help.

"We were collecting money to help with the funeral expenses and also for a couple of their family members who are still there," Sudie's employee Bonnie Williams said.

Employees held car washes and bake sales and they had a donation jar at the checkout that had grown due to the generosity of customers.

But on Wednesday afternoon, a man can be see from the restaurant cameras coming through the doors. He approaches the counter then seems to wander around for a couple of minutes. He makes a phone call and then he makes his move, grabbing not only the donation jar, but the tip jar at the counter too.

It was right then Bonnie Williams walked out from her lunch break.

"I see him reaching for the donation jar and I'm like, 'Hey what are you doing?'" she said.

Williams followed him out the front door, just in time to see him get into a getaway car in the parking lot. She says the passenger door was wide open.

"It's really sad that somebody would do that," Williams said.

Employees believe the thief got away with a few hundred dollars.

"It was getting pretty full and it was great that people were showing their support and for someone to just come and get it, it's gross, it's sick," Sudie's waitress Jodi Blair said.

And while they may have to start over, they aren't giving up.

"I just hope that somebody out there maybe recognizes this person and identify him because this is a sad situation for this family," Williams said.

Williams says the thief and his driver were in an older model two door red Honda.

If you have any information, call Pasadena police.

(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »

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Arson suspected in restaurant fire in SE Houston

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Arson investigators say someone intentionally set a fire in a southeast Houston restaurant this morning.

The fire at Market Seafood damaged the kitchen, and sent smoke into a neighboring nail salon and a postal store. No one was hurt.

Investigators say the fire was set in the kitchen of the restaurant. No arrests have been made.

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Popular Montrose area restaurant catches fire

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A fire broke out early this morning at a Montrose area restaurant. Fire crews say the fire appears to be suspicious.

The flames broke out around 3:40am at the Dolce Vita restaurant off Westheimer near Whitney. Firefighters say the fire started in a dumpster, then quickly spread to the back of the building.

The restaurant was closed for the night and nobody was inside at the time of the fire. Firefighters say this warrants an investigation.

"It's not abnormal to have dumpster fires, but when they catch on the building, that is when we have to call arson to investigate so we can have a true cause for it, because there is really no way for a dumpster fire to start without something going inside the dumpster," said Houston Fire Department District Chief Eric Hutzley.

Fire crews say there is a lot of smoke damage in front of the restaurant and fire damage in the back of the building, totally about $40,000..

There were no injuries reported. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.

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Car crashes into NW Houston fast food restaurant

A driver crashed into this Jack in the Box on Bingle at Little York early Saturday morning

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Employees at a fast food restaurant in northwest Houston will be cleaning up a big mess left by a driver who lost control.

Officers were called to a Jack in the Box on Bingle at Little York around 2:30am Saturday.

They found a Mazda RX8 sports car inside the dining room.

Police say the driver was heading south on Bingle too fast when the car hit a curb, jumped into the air and crashed through two walls and into the dining area.

Officials said that area of the restaurant was closed at the time.

There is no word on whether the driver was injured or will face any charges.

(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
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Off-duty officer shoots man outside SE Houston restaurant

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Houston police have already filed aggravated assault charges against the man who reportedly threatened an off-duty officer with a knife. But there are questions about exactly what happened at the Denny's on the Gulf Freeway near Airport around 3am Thursday.

Officer Julio Lopez is off the streets and on desk duty for at least the next three days as HPD Internal Affairs, Homicide and the District Attorney's Office investigate. While police claim the man who was shot threatened the officer and his brother with a knife, some say the incident is not as cut and dry as HPD is making it out to be.

No one answered the door at Officer Lopez's southeast Houston townhome on Thursday. The five-year veteran HPD officer lives just a few miles from the Denny's restaurant where police say he shot and wounded a man who allegedly threatened the officer with a knife. It happened in the parking lot.

Lopez, who was off-duty, had stopped here to have breakfast with his brother and cousin after leaving a nightclub. That's when they started arguing with Clemente Vela, 32, and two other men.

HPD spokesman Victor Senties said, "The officer discharged his weapon at least twice into the air and repeatedly identified himself as a police officer. The suspect ignored that, got even more aggressive and went towards the officer with a knife in his hand as if he was about to stab him."

But there are conflicting accounts over what led up to the shooting. A witness who was inside the Denny's told Eyewitness News that Lopez was being loud, claims he appeared drunk and that Lopez made racially offensive remarks that angered Vela and his two friends, who are all minorities.

Lopez's attorney Chad Hoffman said, "I spent more than six hours with the officer today and he clearly was not intoxicated."

Hoffman told us it is standard procedure for an off-duty officer to submit a blood alcohol sample after discharging his weapon, though it's unclear if that was done in this case. Houston Police Union President Ray Hunt says HPD policy puts police officers between a rock and a hard place.

"One general order says that any measureable amount of alcohol in your system, you are prohibited from taking any police action," Hunt explained. "Another general order says that you're a police officer 24/7 and that if you see something occurring you shall take action."

Vela was shot at least four times and is recovering in the hospital. He's been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Officer Lopez has been with hpd since January of 2006.

(Copyright ©2011 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »

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HPD: Teen driver slams into restaurant

Police and witnesses stand outside James Coney Island in west Houston where an SUV had just crashed into the building. This photo was taken and submitted by @_Edson__. If you have a photo or video of breaking news, email it to news@abc13.com to be featured online.

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A driver crashed a sports utility vehicle into a west Houston restaurant Wednesday evening.

It happened just before 8pm at James Coney Island in the 700 block of Town & Country Blvd. at Town & Country Village off Beltway 8.

According to investigators, a teen-aged driver was going to park outside the restaurant, but he driver hit the gas pedal instead of the brake.

The SUV took out a large window and a corner of the restaurant.

Officials said no one was injured in the accident.

(Copyright ©2011 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
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Fire damages Mexican restaurant in N. Houston

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Firefighters on the north side had to put out flames coming from a Mexican restaurant.

They found smoke and fire at the Salstas Mexican Restaurant on Airline at West Road around midnight. Crews went inside and quickly got the fire under control. They say it began in the back storage area and spread through the kitchen.

Despite the fact the fire was put out quickly, there is a lot of damage. Arson investigators are looking into the cause of the blaze.

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Copper theft shuts down restaurant

  By Demond FernandezHOUSTON (KTRK) -- The search continues for copper thieves, targeting several businesses in Montgomery County. We're hearing from a restaurant owner who has lost business because of the thieves.

Outside Big Daddy O's restaurant, there's a sign reading "Due to vandalism we're closed." Copper thieves, the owner says, are to blame. This crew at Big Daddy O's restaurant in Pinehurst is cleaning up the huge mess left after thieves ripped off some copper wire. "They broke the pipe about four foot up, cut it, and if you notice, you can see where they've attached a vehicle and drug it out," Misty Franklin said. The seafood restaurant owners, Misty and Josh Franklin, say mysterious crooks cut nearly 1,800 feet of copper between a utility pole and the business' meter, wiping out all power since Saturday night. "It's very frustrating. We've only been open a year. We're just now getting a clientele set. And now we can't even open the doors," Misty Franklin said. The copper thieves not only cut electricity here, but they also ruined thousands of dollars worth of fresh seafood. "We have to get rid of everything in the cooler. I mean it's just devastating. I mean there's $5,000 worth of stuff in the cooler that has to be thrown in the trash," Josh Franklin said. Big Daddy O's is one of at least five places copper thieves hit in Montgomery County over the weekend. "It's hard to set a pattern or develop a pattern on what their next target is," Montgomery County Sheriff's Office Lt. David Park said. Deputies say they don't have many leads but say a majority of the copper thefts are happening at night and on areas that allow the suspects to easily hide. "Obviously we need the public to be our eyes and ears for us. We need their help," Park said. It will take a few more days before Big Daddy O's can reopen, and the owners have a strong message for the copper crooks. "Payback. Payback will get you," Misty Franklin said. Deputies say they are beefing up patrols around businesses throughout the county, especially at night. CenterPoint Energy is also looking into these copper thefts. (Copyright ©2011 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
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Restaurant robbery captured on surveillance video

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Restaurant manager assaulted by suspects

 Two white male suspects are wanted for aggravated robbery after attempting to rob a Webster restaurant.

  WEBSTER, TX (KTRK) -- Police are looking for a pair of would-be crooks who tried to rob a restaurant in pre-dawn hours.

On Wednesday, March 30, at approximately 5am, two white males attempted to rob a Chuy's restaurant located at 20975 Gulf Freeway. According to Crime Stoppers, the restaurant store manager reported hearing someone banging on the office door. He looked through the window of the door and noticed two men demanding he open the door.

The victim opened the door, and one of the suspects hit him in the face. The suspects began yelling at him and demanded that he open the safe. The victim stated that one of the suspects pointed a black semi-automatic gun and threatened to kill him, according to Crime Stoppers.

The complainant frantically tried to open the safe, but he reportedly could not remember the combination. This enraged the suspects, and they began to assault the suspect by punching him throughout his body, officials say. The suspects left with no money or items since the victim could not open the safe.

Anyone with information regarding the identity of either suspect is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.

(Copyright ©2011 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) 

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