Witnesses: Shot fired during Austin bar robbery

Published 10:07 am Monday, December 23, 2013

An armed robber allegedly fired a gun inside an Austin bar Saturday morning before escaping with an undisclosed amount of cash.

Nobody was struck or injured during the robbery, which happened just before 1 a.m. Saturday at the Hiawatha Bar on 10th Street Northeast., according to the Austin Police Department.

Owner Michele Morehouse wasn’t working at the time, but she said one of her bartenders and a few patrons were inside the building during the robbery.

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“One of the customers was going to cut him off,” she said. “He got down, and the guy shot. I just can’t imagine. Thank God nobody was hurt because he did shoot a gun in there.”

Morehouse said the man was also with a woman, and the couple had been inside the building for nearly an hour, played pool, and ordered food and drinks. Witnesses said the man left the room, but when he returned, he walked behind the bar and said he was robbing the place. He then fired a round near one of the customers.

Witnesses said the suspect who fired the gun is a light-skinned black man between 5-foot-8 and 5-foot-11, 160 to 175 pounds with a pitted face in his 20s to 40s. They also said a heavyset Hispanic woman was with the robber. She reportedly walked outside just before the robbery. Police have not found any suspects.