Restaurant owner escapes with life after calling on God in his mind during brazen gunpoint robbery

By Leonardo Blair, Senior Reporter Wednesday, May 20, 2026

An Illinois restaurant owner who was held up at gunpoint and robbed of about $10,000 worth of jewelry said he cried out to God in his mind for help and escaped with his life.

The owner of Arepa Express in Melrose Park, who asked not to be identified, told Fox 32 that he was so afraid during the robbery, he cried out to God in his mind because he thought he was going to die.

"I thought he was going to shoot me,” the Venezuelan immigrant told the news outlet. “When someone pulls out a gun, it’s because they’re going to use it. I thought, ‘God help me.’"

Surveillance video captured the encounter that occurred on May 12 as patrons dined at the restaurant. Arepa Express, which had a grand reopening last August,  serves authentic Venezuelan cuisine, including stuffed arepas, empanadas, cachapas, and a Venezuelan-style shrimp and chicken fried rice.

According to the shaken Arepa Express owner, the suspect pretended to be a customer who ordered food and left. He then returned several times and asked to use the restroom. The encounters eventually became testy, and the suspect brandished a gun.

"After the third time, he returns. He takes out his gun and points it at me and threatened to kill me. I don’t wish that experience on anybody," the owner told Fox 32.

He said the suspect took jewelry from him, including an 18-karat Gucci chain, a bracelet and his law school graduation ring from Venezuela, which was a gift from his parents.

"He told me to get on the floor, so I did. After a few seconds, a customer came over to help me get up and tell me that he was gone," the owner said.

One of the customers called 911 after the suspect left the restaurant, the owner said. While he did not know the suspect, he said the man appeared to be an immigrant from Venezuela.

"I’ve been a resident for eight years now, and it’s always a shame when it’s your own people doing these crimes,” he said.

Andrew Mack, a spokesperson for the Village of Melrose Park Police Department, told The Christian Post on Tuesday that detectives are still working on the case, but they haven't made any arrests.

“It's still under investigation,” Mack said. “They have identified a person of interest who they strongly believe is the person [in the video]. They know who it is. They are now just trying to track that person down.”