A Texas Pit BBQ employee was shot early Saturday morning in Sub Base during an armed robbery of one of the company's mobile food wagons as it returned to its headquarters shortly after midnight.
At the scene, Texas Pit owner Bill Collins said the wounded employee, Malvon "Percy" Percival, was hospitalized. "It does not appear that the injuries are life threatening," Collins said.
Percival was struck in the right thigh and was reported in stable condition at the Roy L. Schneider Hospital.
Collins told The Source it appeared as if the two robbers had "sat waiting on our guys to return from the waterfront." The robbers confronted the three employees on the barbecue wagon after they backed it into the driveway of the headquarters and got out, he said.
Acting Police Chief Jose Garcia said in a press statement that the robbers approached the employees "and demanded the money the food stand made during the night."
Percival, who was armed, fired his gun at the two men. After he ran out of ammunition, one robber shot him in the leg.
The robbers fled in the rental car of a girlfriend of one Texas Pit employee, who had followed the food wagon to Sub Base. They abandoned the white four-door sedan near the entrance to the Water And Power Authority Krum Bay plant and got away on foot.
Garcia said one robber was 5'8" and wore dark clothing and a ski mask, while the other wore a stocking mask, a white shirt and short olive green pants.
"They made off with the night’s receipts," Collins said, "which was not much. It was a slow, rainy night." Police said about $1,800 was taken.
Another Texas Pit wagon was robbed two months ago in Red Hook. No one was injured in that case.
Collins said he moved the Texas Pit operations from one Sub Base location to another just five days ago. He said he suspects the robbers may have cased the area, "monitoring the movements of the guys" as to their departure time from the waterfront.
Forensic agents, patrol units and other police personnel were on the scene early Saturday morning. The getaway car was towed from the scene.
Police ask that anyone with information about the case call the Investigation Bureau at 774-4050 or the police emergency number, 911.
