Family-owned taco truck robbed again in Long Beach, worker beaten
LONG BEACH, Calif. (KABC) -- For the second time in six months, violent robbers targeted a family-owned taco truck in Long Beach and beat one of the workers in the process.
Erick Flores is now back to work at his family's taco truck at 7th Street and Junipero Avenue - but he's still feeling the pain of the injuries he suffered during a robbery last week.
Surveillance cameras captured images of two suspects who walked up to the Los Bros Tacos truck around 8 p.m. Thursday.
One of them placed an order and when Flores pulled out cash to give the man change, he was attacked.
"Then he tried to snatch the money away from me and I didn't let go, and since he saw that I didn't let go, he decided to hit me," Flores recounted.
The suspect knocked over a table in front of the truck, spilling water on the ground.
"I slipped on the water and that's when he started hitting me."
The suspect grabbed the cash, around $70, and ran away. The other suspect also took off when another food truck worker came out to help Flores.
"I have a broken nose and, from time to time, I get headaches. Since it's broken, it also affects my other senses," he added.
As the oldest of three siblings, Flores said he's glad it happened to him instead of his little brothers.
Back in December, two suspects were caught on video robbing a worker inside the truck at gunpoint. They stole his cellphone and assaulted him before fleeing.
Flores says those thieves were later arrested. However, the suspects involved in the latest incident have not been captured.
One of them was wearing a black hoodie and pants. The other was dressed in red, a mask partially covering his face.
Flores estimates they both were around 20 years old.
"I hope they get some sense of regret and come to the good side," he said.
Los Bros Tacos operates two other food trucks in Long Beach. The robberies have been costly and Flores says his family may leave the 7th Street location.
