Empanada Foils Robbery

Apple, cherry and pumpkin. Flavorful empanadas are a favorite Mexican dessert, but who would have thought the tasty treats could be used to ward off a thief.

It is hard to believe a delicious pineapple empanada can be used to defend oneself; but that is all a restaurant clerk had to use as a weapon, and it worked.

She did not want to speak about the incident, but others did on her behalf.

?I think it is wonderful, I would have done the same thing,? a customer at Amigo?s Mexican Food said.

And how the a clerk at Amigo?s Mexican Food risked her life is now the talk of the town.

?I think she was pretty brave, I think she did the right thing,? another customer said.

Customers crowded inside Amigo?s Mexican Food Wednesday praised the instinctive, split-second decision they heard a clerk made to ward off a would-be thief.

“She started throwing the empanadas at him and he dropped everything and ran,? Barbara Orquiz, Amigo?s Owner, said.

Some say it is unbelievable a pastry was enough to get rid of the would-be robber.

“I guess the guy was uh scared of a pastry I guess or these empanadas,? another customer said.

Empanadas, or fruit-filled doughy pastries packaged four to a bag, chucked at a would-be robber?s head were enough for a clerk to scare off a man disguised in a ski-mask attempting to steal the cash register.

“She kept screaming and threw the bread at the guy’s head,” Mitzy Hernandez, Amigo?s Cashier, said.

The would-be thief was so startled, Hernandez said he dropped the register and even shattered the glass door as he ran out empty handed.

“If she had a soda or something else she would have threw it too, that was her only defense,? Hernandez said.

Others said it is hard to imagine how they would have reacted had they been in a similar situation.

“I probably would have done the same thing, I don?t know if it’s real smart but I think that was brave of her,” Deborah Dickens, customer, said.

Orquiz said the clerk took a risk fending off the would-be thief, as it was not known if he was armed, but she did the best with what she had behind the bakery shelf – empanadas.

“Whatever works and that obviously worked,” Orquiz said. ?We’re really proud of her because she did a really brave job there, and we’re happy that we had her here.”

The owners gave the clerk a $20 tip for risking her life.

It is not known what flavor empanadas the clerk used in her defense. But other employees said they would have used apple. Apple empanadas tend to be harder than the others and could really leave a mark when thrown at someone?s head, employees said.