Ski-Masked Man Threatens His Girlfriend with Knife at Potbelly's

LUBBOCK, TX — A Lubbock man was arrested for allegedly robbing his girlfriend at knifepoint and threatening to kill her children if she informed the police, according to court records. Lubbock Police responded to a domestic disturbance call at Potbelly's on 2402 9th Street, where witnesses reported seeing John Davila, 19, in all black and a ski mask, holding his girlfriend against a wall and trying to force her into the restaurant.

Officers M. Martinez and I. Walton were already on the scene when Officer Martinez spoke with a Potbelly employee, identified as the victim, and her boyfriend, John Davila.

Court documents indicated that Davila and his girlfriend had a verbal altercation over some of her belongings, which Davila had in his possession. Officer Martinez recovered these items, including a backpack and a watch, and returned them to the victim.

However, management at Potbelly's was concerned that the victim had been threatened with a deadly weapon but was hesitant to speak with police. This prompted Officer Martinez to search the area, where he found a knife on the sidewalk near the restaurant.

Witnesses confirmed the victim's account, describing how Davila, in his ski mask and black attire, appeared to be threatening his girlfriend. One witness noted that she saw her visibly scared and being dragged down the sidewalk. Seeing her panic, the witness called 911 for help.

When interviewed, the victim initially did not speak about the details of the situation but eventually revealed that Davila had threatened to kill her and her children if she disclosed the entire story to authorities. 

She recounted how Davila had shown up at her workplace, calling her outside while wearing latex gloves and a ski mask. The victim feared for her life when she noticed Davila seemingly concealing what she immediately believed to be a firearm and placed her in fear for her life. Davila then threatened her, stating he was about to stab her in her back, which caused her to believe it was a knife and not a gun. 

The victim reported that as Davila approached her with what seemed to be the intent to stab her, a witness arrived on the scene. This caused Davila to hide the knife under his hoodie and pull her around the corner of the building, with the witness following behind at a distance while on the phone. She indicated that Davila held her against the wall against her will and brandished a knife, which she described as a folding knife with a silver blade and a black handle.

The victim stated that Davila threatened her, saying she had to leave town or he would kill her and her children. He then demanded her watch and shoes, forcibly taking the watch from her wrist while holding her at knifepoint. When she refused to give him her shoes, he insisted that she take him inside the restaurant to hand over all her money and her backpack, threatening to harm her and her coworkers if she did not comply.

Davila ordered the victim to take him to the back to retrieve her money, which she said he could not do. He then gave her an ultimatum: she had five seconds to get her bag and hand it over. As she went to the back, a coworker asked if she was okay, and she discreetly mouthed "no" to avoid alarming Davila.

Documents state that she gathered her backpack but cleverly threw her money and phone on the floor before returning to Davila. He took the backpack and instructed her to sit with him, insisting she acted as if everything was fine when the police arrived. He threatened that if she spoke to them, his family would kill her and her children.

When LPD arrived, they separated the victim and Davila, where she conveyed her fear for her life and hesitated to disclose the complete details of the incident. Despite her initial hesitation, video footage from the restaurant aligned her story, clearly showing Davila holding her against the wall.

Officers placed Davila under arrest for aggravated robbery. During the arrest, they found a pair of cream-colored latex gloves in his left pant pocket and a ski mask with him. 

Davila was transported and booked into the Lubbock County Detention Center and remains in jail on a $200,000 bond.