Indianapolis, Indiana

From the Indianapolis Star of January 14, 2010

Guns fired during beauty shop robbery

Gunfire erupted during a robbery in a Northwestside beauty shop last night.

No one was injured in the exchange at Diana’s Beauty Shop, 7011 N. Michigan Rd., but the robber escaped with $340, according to an Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department report.

Shop employee Hendry Rodriguez, 23, Indianapolis, told police that a gunman entered the shop at 7 p.m. and demanded money. Rodriguez gave the man about $30 from his pockets and opened the cash register for him.

The robber then told Rodriguez to go into a backroom while he cleaned out the cash drawer.

When Rodriguez reached the rear of the shop he pulled out his own gun, a Glock with a 14 bullets in it, and fired a shot into the ground to scare the robber. The bandit fired one shot at Rodriguez, missing him, and ran out the front door, according to the report.

Rodriguez said when he looked out of the back door of the shop, he saw the gunman fire two or three shots into the air as he entered a nearby apartment complex.

Rodriguez said he was set up by another man earlier who had arranged for Rodriguez to meet someone to buy a large screen television, the report said.

He said he thought the robber was sent by the man who arranged the meeting.

The gunman left behind a baseball hat which police were examining for evidence.

Rodriguez had a permit to carry a handgun.