HOUSTON, Texas (AP) -Employees of a McDonald’s fast-food restaurant in the Texan suburb of South Houston have today spoken about their relief to see former world wrestling great, Booker “Booker T” Huffman, subdue a lone gunman during an attempted robbery of the outlet on Tuesday evening.
It’s believed Mr Huffman, a former WWE wrestler and current commentator, was a patron of the restaurant with his wife, Sharmell and his three children – when an armed male entered the venue with a ski-mask covering his face and demanded money from staff at the register.
Andrew Torres, an 18-year old employee of the South Houston diner, says it was like he was watching the wrestling as a young boy all over again.
“I mean, Booker was sitting down with his family… Ordered the Singapore noodles off the kids menu… You know, being a normal customer – but then this guy came in with a gun and all of a sudden he’s pointing it at my face and telling me he wants money,” says Torres, who was working the front counter at the time of the hold-up.
“It was really scary because the diner was at full capacity… but when the guy in the mask came in, it went completely silent. I was in complete shock – I couldn’t even move my arms,”
“It was a bizarre experience because the gunman wanted money but I was so terrified I couldn’t move – and he knew that… no one else is the diner was doing anything. It was like we were paused in time… Until I heard a familiar voice shouting from the back corner of the diner.”
Torres has said that “Booker T” Huffman had removed his shirt and began shouting his iconic WWE catch-cry “Can you dig it? Sucker?!” before sprinting across the room and performing a signature wrestling manoeuvre on the attempted robber.
The restaurant’s manager, Sara Tampico, says it was a “spectacular” citizen arrest.
“Mr Huffman stood on the table and removed his shirt, before bounding across the restaurant, table to table. He was flying through the air and his ‘locs’ [dreadlocks] were going everywhere. He scissor-kicked the robber and knocked him out cold! He was flying so high in the air that his waist was in line with the gunman’s head,” says Ms Tampico, who despite being very thankful for Booker T’s actions, wasn’t entirely sure who he was at the time.
“After he had immobilised the threat – all of the customers in the restaurant cheered and started dancing. I had never heard of ‘Booker T’ before, but apparently everyone else had. They formed a circle around him and he did some sort of breakdancing move on top of the unconscious gunman,”
“After all that, he sat right back down and finished his Singapore noodles,”
“It really was spectacular. My employees say it was just like on the television – he did his famous “scissor kick” to subdue the gunman and followed it up with what they call “The Spinaroonie” (breakdancing manoeuvre).”
Local police are yet to comment publicly, however they have confirmed that Mr Huffman is helping them with their investigation, while the gunman has been taken into custody. Huffman has stated that he will not be commenting until police enquiries are complete.
Reported by Clancy Overell in Texas, QLD. Margaret Turner contributed to this story at The Associated Press, Washington.
