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Asian restaurant owners targeted in Wake Forest robbery

Wake Forest police are investigating the latest in a series of violent home invasions targeting Asian restaurant across the state.

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WAKE FOREST, N.C. — Wake Forest police are investigating the latest in a series of violent home invasions targeting Asian restaurant across the state.

Police said Tuesday's armed robbery, which happened about 11 p.m. in the 1100 block of Cimarron Parkway, is the second in the town since September.

Police said a family had returned home after closing Lin’s Garden on Main Street when three masked gunmen robbed one of the family members at gunpoint. The suspects got cash and other items before running away.

Wake Forest Police Chief Jeff Leonard is urging restaurant owners to be aware of their surroundings, especially at closing time.

“Be careful that someone isn’t following you home,” he said. “Be on the lookout for individuals watching you at the restaurant. Being aware of your surroundings is the most important thing because these kinds of incidents happen very quickly.”

In July, that state Attorney General’s Office issued an alert regarding violent home invasions involving Asian restaurant owners. Cases have been reported across multiple eastern North Carolina counties since December 2013, including two in Johnston County.

One restaurant owner in Wake Forest, who did not want to be identified, told WRAL News that she believes Asians are being targeted because robbers think they carry a lot of cash. But most now use credit card machines, she said.

 

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