‘I was just hoping to God I wasn’t gonna die’

Published 12:00 am Tuesday, July 30, 2002

A Burger King employee says he is thankful to be alive today after a would-be robber held a gun to his head and pulled the trigger &045;&045; only to have the gun fail to go off.

Tamika Reeves, the manager at the Burger King on Dallas Avenue, and her crew of six other employees were busy cleaning up Saturday night around midnight when the robbery occurred.

One of the employees opened the back entrance door of the restaurant to empty the trash as usual.

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Suddenly, said Reeves, a young man came running into the restaurant, cursing and screaming.

Reeves said the man had a gun and was demanding money &uot;in a hurry.&uot;

The employees complied with the demand, laying down right where they stood in different parts of the restaurant.

The robber then demanded that Reeves give him the money from her office. Reeves gave the man $1,600, depositing it in a bag.

Despite the danger involved in the situation, one employee did manage to get through to police, said Reeves.

Before laying on the ground, Darrie Pettway, better known as &uot;Big D,&uot; managed to knock one of the phones off the hook and dialed 911, alerting police about the robbery.

The robber pointed the gun at Reeves, and then he pointed it at Pettway.

Added Pettway, &uot;I was sure scared, and I was just hoping to God that I wasn’t gonna die.&uot;

Then the robber pulled the trigger, but the gun did not go off.

Capt. Joe Harrell, chief of detectives at the Selma Police Department, said that Dallas County Sheriff’s Department Deputies Burt Allison, Troy Stokes and Leray Donaldson first responded to the call.

The man had apparently left the restaurant and was traveling in a car with another passenger.

The deputies, along with members of the Selma Police Department, pursued the car, which traveled down the Old Orville Road, reaching a dead end at Pine Tree Drive.

The suspects, said Harrell, then left the vehicle and ran into the woods.

After closing off the area, police apprehended one of the suspects on the Old Orville Road. The other was caught just outside a wooded area on Pine Tree Drive.

Police arrested Andrae Ellis, 19, and Kelvin Ellis, 28, both from Selma, charging each with robbery in the first degree.

Both suspects were sent to the Dallas County Jail on a $15,000 bond.

Said Harrell, &uot;I just wanted to praise the sheriff’s department for aiding us in these arrests. We have always worked well together, and I think this is just one example of that.&uot;

Harrell added that during this month, there have been 170 felony cases, and that during that time the detective division, aided by the patrol division, have made a total of 44 felony arrests. &uot;That’s almost two per day,&uot; Harrell said. &uot;Our men deserve a lot of praise for the work they have done.&uot;

As for Reeves and Pettway, they said they still remember the incident &045;&045; vividly.

Said Pettway, &uot;I am sure glad to be alive.&uot;