Laureles Shaken by Armed Robbery

Updated: January 21, 2021

By Tony Vindell

The small community of Laureles has been shaken by an armed robbery.
This tranquil town of some 4,000 residents hasn’t been used to having people taking money from a day of business or face the possible consequences if their demands are not met.
On the evening of Saturday, Jan. 16, a gun-wielding man and a woman holding what appeared to be a pocket knife walked into Galarza’s Drive-In store at FM 1575 and 2893, asked the two women working to go to a corner and took the money from a cash register.
The popular store for people buying snacks, tacos, tamales as well as a wide array of merchandise, has never experienced such an incident in the 20 years the Galarzas have been running it.
“Other than having a window broken or a shoplifter grabbing something (like beer), we have never seen anything like this,” Rosie Galarza said. “Our two employees were scared.”
Her husband, Carlos, said it took about two minutes for the two suspects to commit the crime.
He said they walked into the store knowing what to do and left east, though he doesn’t know if they left driving a vehicle or somebody was waiting for them.
“Whenever something like this happens, step aside,” he said. “There is no telling what would happen to you.”
Rosie Galarza said they have been closing the store around 10 p.m. on weekends, adding the store robbers showed up right before closing time.
Sheriff Eric Garza, the new boss at the Cameron County Sheriff’s Department, said they have a suspect in connection with the robbery but no arrests have been made as of press time.