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Latinos robbed

Posted on April 17, 2008 by Staff

By Susan Dickson
Staff Writer

Police are investigating a recent string of armed robberies in Carrboro and Chapel Hill that targeted Latino victims.

According to Captain J.G. Booker of the Carrboro Police Department, most of the robberies involved young black men approaching Latino victims in apartment complex parking lots and displaying a weapon. The robberies began at the end of January, but have become more frequent in recent weeks.

Booker said he thinks there are probably other robberies that have not been reported, and encouraged victims to come forward.

“When you’re the victim, [the police] are not coming to investigate you,” he said. “We’re coming to investigate the crime reported.

“The status of citizens reporting is of no interest to us,” he continued. “We don’t investigate based on their status.”

Booker added that several police officers speak Spanish, and that there is generally someone working every shift who can help translate for Spanish-speaking victims.

The most recent robbery occurred last Friday night at Royal Park Apartments when two young black men approached a Latino family of three and displayed a gun. Other robberies last week occurred at Kingswood Apartments on Highway 54 Bypass, Pinegate Apartments on Pinegate Circle and Kings Arms Apartments on Ephesus Church Road.

Booker said that based on descriptions provided by victims, he believes more than one pair of young men committed the recent robberies. Two men were described as black males, 17 to 19 years old and six to six feet four inches tall, while another pair was described as black males, 16 to 17 years old and five feet eight inches to six feet tall.

“We think there could be multiple pairs of two,” Booker said, noting that one robbery involved three suspects.

However, he added, “I think that some of the robberies are being committed by the same people.”

Booker said the Carrboro Police are working with the Chapel Hill Police Department in the investigation.

“There’s been very little to go on, because the suspects are approaching the victims … and then they’re leaving on foot,” he said. Police have used dogs to track the suspects’ trails, but the trails ended, leading police to believe that the suspects got in cars.

If anyone has information about the robberies, contact the Chapel Hill Police Department at 968-2760 or Crime Stoppers at 942-7515. Calls to Crime Stoppers are confidential and anonymous, and the caller may be eligible for a cash reward of up to $1,200 for information that leads to an arrest.

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