HOUSTON – A thief seen on surveillance video is accused of stealing a piece of Linda Lazo’s livelihood.
“It was really scary because it was just me, my husband was at work,” said Lazo.
Lazo and her two daughters, ages 9 and 1, had just left the Boys and Girls Club. As they got into their truck, the thief walked past them.
“I thought he was just a teenager,” said Lazo.
He quickly snatched a leaf blower out of the truck bed.
“My reaction was like towards him like go to my blower,” said Lazo.
Lazo said a white car with three other men pulled up. The thief jumped in the car, then drove away.
“Having my daughters being in that type of situation and seeing their mom running and trying to get the blower and stuff like that was scary for me, for my kids,” said Lazo.
Lazo uses the backpack blower for her lawn service. The Stihl website shows it retails for roughly $700.
Her business is how she provides for her family. She planned to use some of her earnings for her daughters’ school supplies.
“Right now that my girls are not in school, I got a few more extra yards,” said Lazo.
Now, she has to resort to less efficient equipment.
“The hand blower is going to be hard for me to blow leaves so it’s taking me more time and less yards because it’s really hot outside,” said Lazo.
Once the thieves are caught, Lazo plans to press charges.
The Boys and Girls Club tells KPRC 2 they have not had any other similar incidents. They have added more security during pick-up and drop-off hours.
If you recognize the thieves, you are urged to call the Houston Police Department.