HOUSTON – Houston police have released a composite drawing of a man being sought for hacking an unwitting suspect with a box cutter in order to steal his cellphone.
The attack happened June 6 in the parking lot of a Fuel Stop gas station at the corner of Kirkwood Road and W. Bellfort Avenue in southwest Houston, police said.
The victim, Marvin Robles, 27, is still recovering and shaken.
Robles told KPRC 2 he was gassing up his car while sitting in the vehicle when the man approached him.
Robles said he rolled down his car window to ask what the man wanted, and without warning, he says the suspect slashed at his throat with a box cutter, leaving a deep wound, and then continued to hack away, cutting tendons while grabbing the cellphone Robles was holding at the same time. The suspect then ran away with the phone, he said.
Robles drove to his sister’s apartment and called for an ambulance. His injuries required stitches and he spent a night in a hospital. He’s recovering at a relative’s apartment, but worries about the future.
Robles needs to have surgery on his hand that he says he can’t afford, and he needs to get back to his job as a roofer to support his two small daughters. He also said he’s worried about the man who attacked him still being on the street.
“I want him caught before he does it to someone else,” he said.
Police are asking anyone who recognizes the man in the drawing to call Houston Crime Stoppers at 713-521-4600. A reward of up to $5,000 is being offered for information leading to his arrest.