Houston police are asking for the public's help identifying a man who tried to rob a fast-food restaurant in north Houston, holding his hand inside his shirt as if he had a weapon before fleeing when an employee couldn't get the cash register open. The attempted robbery happened around 9:45 a.m. on August 17 near Jensen Drive and Tidwell Road.
According to Click2Houston, the Houston Police Department says the man pictured in its release is wanted in connection with the incident. The outlet reports the suspect approached the register and demanded money in Spanish while keeping one hand tucked inside his shirt, mimicking a weapon. A separate account from Houston Police Robbery places the business in the 9400 block of Jensen Drive, matching the time and location described by Click2Houston.
The employee behind the counter was unable to open the register, and the would-be robber ran off in an unknown direction, per the same Click2Houston report. No description of the suspect's age or appearance, the restaurant's name, or whether he was actually armed has been released, and police have not said what, if anything, was taken.
Part of a Busier Summer for Houston Robbery Investigations
The Jensen Drive case is one of several robbery investigations Houston police have publicized in recent months. In a separate case detailed by Click2Houston, a suspect entered a northeast Houston business on September 4, selected several items, then threatened the clerk and demanded the goods for free before grabbing a bag of pastries and taking off. That suspect also had not been identified as of early October, according to earlier Hoodline reporting on a robbery investigation nearby on the 5600 block of Tidwell Road.
Houston police have also sought public help in other recent robbery cases, including one involving two employees shoved during an incident on Westheimer Road near Briargrove Drive in mid-October. None of these cases have been publicly linked to one another or to the Jensen Drive incident.
Robberies Persist Even as Houston's Violent Crime Numbers Fall
The spate of robbery appeals comes even as broader crime data suggests Houston has seen some relief this year. Violent crime in the city, including homicides and robberies, reportedly dropped during the first half of 2026 to levels below those seen before the pandemic, according to the earlier Hoodline report. Houston police investigated 95 homicides in the first half of 2026, compared with 154 during the same period in 2025, per that same account.
Anyone with information about the Jensen Drive robbery is asked to contact Houston police, who continue to seek the public's help identifying the man in their release.
