Well Known Food Vendor Robbed at Gunpoint; 1 of the Robbers Escapes Police Custody

Earlier this week a food vendor was brutally beaten and robbed by two thieves and fortunately for him, painter Alex Sanker, bravely fought off the duo. Another food vendor, Alva McKoy, has also fallen prey to thieves.  This time, McKoy was robbed of more than seven hundred dollars by three thieves that pounced on her at her small diner on Central American Boulevard. McKoy was held at gunpoint, but fought them off fearlessly; still she was overpowered. The robbers ripped off her apron with the cash and stole her cell phone. Police were quick to detain the trio inside a taxi, but one managed to escape. Today, News Five’s Duane Moody got the details of the frightening ordeal.

Duane Moody, Reporting

Well-known food vendor Alva McKoy was the victim of an armed robbery on Wednesday afternoon. The sixty-one-year-old woman was at her place of business, Alva’s Diner on Central American Boulevard near the cut off to the Jane Usher Boulevard area, when she was attacked by three thieves. . They came asking for food and within seconds, a gun was pointed at McKoy and money was demanded.

Alva McKoy

Alva McKoy, Victim of Armed Robbery

“About 2:45, nearly time fi go home, a guy comes in the yard and say, “Miss, miss I need a food.” I say, “Weh kinda food yo need?” Ih say, “Anything, anything.” So I say, “How yo wah say anything? I noh sell anything yah.” Ih say, “Just wah food cause I hungry.” So I gone into the back fi get into my business place and he di come behind me. So when he di come behind me, I tell ahn yo can’t come dah back yah; you have to go dah di front. Ih say, “Okay mami then, I gwen dah front.” I say, “What kinda food?” Ih say anything again. So I gone and open the rice and beans pot. So while I di open the pot, I got the plate ina mi hand and the spoon fi take out the rice. He take out the gun and say noh move, noh say nothing and noh make no noise.”

Even as she was held at gunpoint, McKoy says she attempted to run, but was assaulted by the three robbers. Her apron in which carried the day’s sale of almost seven hundred dollars was ripped from her body; her cell phone and ID were also stolen before the robbers scaled the fence to the yard and escaped.

Alva McKoy

“My thing is now dah fi run and I look pan it and say if I run, yo noh know weh could happen. But I still run and dehn ketch mi ina di yard. Three of them ketch mi ina di yard and I di tangle with them. And then one of them say pop off the apron and dah soh dehn get the money because I mi di struggle with them fi wah lee while. And when dehn pop off the apron, dehn jump the fence right behind the yard.   I neva even mi di think about gun dah time deh, I just fight dehn off. I noh mi di think about gun. One of them left ih slippers ina di yard.”

A passerby witnessed the ordeal and called the police who responded quickly and detained the suspect robbers inside a taxi on Nurse Finley Street. While the ID and cell phone were recovered, the cash was gone. The trio was taken into custody, but reports are that one of the suspected robbers escaped police custody.

Alva McKoy

“The guy call the police and quick time the police dehn respond. The amount weh come, dehn mi have to ketch dehn. But it look like at the time, dehn say dehn got dehn so I say well I safe. I say well I got everything, but dehn neva get the money. They find the phone ina di getaway vehicle—I call it the getaway vehicle—they find the phone in there. Dehn take out all the back of the phone so the phone noh have in no battery, nothing. The card, I think dehn find it on the street—mi food handling card; dehn find it on the street. One of the guys get weh—I noh know how—but one get weh, but dehn know dah who.”

This is the second time that McKoy’s business has been robbed since she moved to that location four years ago.  But she is not letting it hold her down; McKoy says she will be back to work on Friday.

Alva McKoy

“I noh know how I still stand up. I noh know. Only di good lord deh with mi fi make that dehn neva shot mi because dehn is have the gun; I see it with my own eye, dehn have it.”

Duane Moody

“So what now? Yo gwen back? Yo wah open up back and continue work?”

Alva McKoy

“I gwen go work tomorrow, I gwen work tomorrow. I have to work. I can’t just stay home and make dehn hold me down. I have to work. That dah my dreams from time, so I have to continue. I will work tomorrow, but this time I think I have to prepare myself.”

Duane Moody for News Five.