Armed Robber Strikes At Capital Boulevard Hotel

The string of shootings and gun-related crimes is leaving employees scared to even walk to their cars alone.

Wednesday night, Raleigh police were still looking for the armed robber who walked into the Fairfield Inn and held up several people at gunpoint. Though business at the hotel seemed to be back to normal, that was a much different scene from earlier in the day.

Shortly after 4 p.m., Raleigh police officers surrounded the hotel. They were looking for an armed man who held up two workers and two guests in the hotel lobby.

"Told us all to turn our backs to the wall, put our hands up to the wall," Scott Bucher said. "Then he asked for our wallets."

Bucher, who was working behind the desk when the thief barged in, said he tried to get a good look at the masked man but was told he would be shot if he did.

"Having an armed robber with a pistol in your face, that's a scary situation," Bucher said.

There have been a lot of scary situations off Capital Boulevard lately.

Tuesday morning, a man dropped out of the ceiling at the First Union Bank and held employees up at gunpoint. In the same area, police are still looking for the person who shot and killed a city employee at the Public Utilities building earlier this month.

And then there was September's shooting at the Waffle House across the street from Don Murray's Barbecue and Seafood Restaurant.

"It doesn't surprise me," Murray's manager Kenny Bailey said. "it doesn't. People are doing anything this day and time."

Bailey said the recent string of armed robberies has caused his staff to tighten security procedures.

"Every night, we all leave together," he said. "Nobody leaves alone. Nobody is here by themselves at any time."

No one was injured in Wednesday's armed robbery.

Raleigh police said the thief was last seen running past the front of the hotel toward Capital Boulevard, and police increased patrols on the Boulevard Wednesday night. Although it was too soon to tell, they were not ruling out any possible connections with the other robberies in the area.