A Texas Teen Wanted Late-Night Taco Bell. Instead, He Got Robbed

What started out as a craving for a late-night snack turned into a terrifying robbery for a Texas teenager.

A 17-year-old boy from Houston ordered Taco Bell that was delivered shortly after 1 a.m. last Thursday, according to FOX 26. Ring camera footage obtained by the news outlet shows the Uber Eats driver leaving the boy's food outside the front door, snapping a photo for the delivery app, getting back in his car and driving off. Two minutes later, as seen on the surveillance footage, the boy opens the door to get his food. Instead of grabbing his Taco Bell order, he was met by two gunmen at his front door.

The gunmen, who were wearing masks, hoodies and gloves, made their way into the house in the Tanglewood neighborhood. "One of them hit him with the back of a gun, with the handle of a handgun, and subdued him to the ground. They asked him if he's the only one at the house," the teen's father, Dr. Ruchdi Barakats told FOX 26. The boy was unfortunately alone in the home — his dad was at a friend's house 10 minutes away and the rest of the family was out of town, he said.

The robbers left the house with large bags of stolen goods several minutes later. Items were taken from the master bedroom, closet and wife's safe — which was worth over $180,000, Barakats said. They also took Barakats' keys to his truck sitting in the driveway, which the robbers used as a getaway car. Barakats' keys, thankfully, had an AirTag attached to them, which led police to the truck near 288 and Almeda. It was found burned to a crisp — damage worth $130,000 to the insured vehicle, FOX 26 reported.

An investigation is underway. At this time, it's unclear whether the food delivery was connected to the robbery. An Uber spokesperson said it doesn't appear to be connected and is cooperating with Houston police's investigation. No suspects have been named. Barakats is offering a $5,000 reward to anyone with information that may lead to an arrest. Anyone with information should call 281-440-0800.