Armed robber Eric Cruz brandished gun in front of kids during crime spree while on ‘drug bender’
A man who stormed a convenience store and brandished a realistic gun in front of children said it was because he was on a “drug bender”.
An armed robber who used a fake gun to steal booze and cigarettes from shops and terrorised two children said he was on a “drug bender” at the time.
Eric Rodrigo Cruz pleaded guilty in the County Court of Victoria on Wednesday to two counts of armed robbery, one of theft and one of being a prohibited person possessing an imitation firearm.
The now 25-year-old was armed with an imitation gun when he stormed two shops with another man on December 11, 2021.
He and another man walked into a bottle shop in the Melbourne suburb of Laverton and picked up a 24-pack of pre-mixed Jim Beam cans and a 10-pack of Smirnoff Ice double black.
When the female worker tried to get Cruz to pay he pointed the imitation weapon and said: “I’ve got a gun.”
The court was told Cruz shoved her to the ground before the two men fled the scene in a car.
Shortly after they pulled up at a Coles Express and filled up at the bowser before speeding off.
The duo then stormed a convenience store at Hillside despite two children – a 14-year-old and a nine-year-old – being in the shop.
Cruz pointed the weapon at a female shopkeeper’s head and demanded money as the terrified children watched on.
He stole $1000 from the till and, with the other man, took cigarettes before they again fled.
Police were able to trace the car and raided Cruz’s home, but he handed himself in to police the next day.
The robber told officers he was on a “drug bender” and had been using drugs, including ice and cocaine, in the days before the crime spree.
“F***in’ drugs make you do some stuff, hey. F***in’ hell,” he told police when they showed him photos of the weapon.
One of the children in the shop said in a statement aired in court that he wanted “the men who that did this to get help so they don’t do this again”.
Cruz was remorseful, pleaded guilty at an early stage and acknowledged how terrifying it would have been for the victims, particularly the children.
In a letter of apology he said he was “so ashamed of himself” and was sorry for actions.
“I was under the influence of drugs but that does not excuse what I did,” Cruz said.
He said he wished he could turn back time and was so sorry for what he put the victims through.
Cruz was a good prospect of rehabilitation, but his lawyer argued that a longer-than-usual parole period would be appropriate.
Judge Frank Gucciardi will sentence Cruz at a later date.