Danny Balis just called with the heads-up: In the last two days, two local bars have been robbed at gunpoint. Danny wondered if perhaps they were related.
According to Dallas Police reports, the first stick-em-up occurred around 1 a.m. Tuesday at the Dallasite on Bryan Street, across the street from Jimmy's Food Store. Says Senior Corporal Kevin Janse, a man took a seat at the bar, ordered two drinks and even chatted it up with the bartender and other patrons. But around 12:50 a.m., he got up to go to the bathroom. And when he returned, he "displayed the grip of a revolver," according to the police report, and "in a very calm voice...said, 'Make this easy for yourself.'" The bartender gave the man $450, and he left.
Danny says he was nearby, at the Bryan Street Tavern, when the hold-up took place down the street. He found out about it because the bartender at the Dallasite texted his counterpart at the Bryan Street Tavern and warned him: We just got robbed. At which point, BST's doors were locked. Just to be safe.
About 24 hours later, the Old Monk on Henderson was robbed -- this time by three armed men who came in the back door shortly after closing time early this morning. According to the report, someone had gone out the back to shake out a mat, at which point three men, one of whom was masked, barged their way into the Monk. According to police reports, one of the men told the Monk's employees: Lie down, don't look at us, open the safe, or we'll shoot you. The manager complied, and the three men got away with $6,000 from the safe, plus money, cell phones, car keys and other items employees had on them.
Janse says police do not believe the two robberies are related.
