Last night armed gunmen held up a well-known Chinese store that's in a much trafficked area of the city. It's the fourth armed holdup of a Chinese store since Monday and there was another person injured. Here's what happened.
Jules VasquezReporting,
Sen Sen Store, it's a popular community shop here at the corner of Daly and Carig Streets. It is opened for business as usual today - but storeowners and security are shaken after an armed assault last night. Last night, just as they were getting ready to closea conspicuously dressed man came in to and went to the back of the store. The security guard, who asked us not to show his face or disclose his name, says the man looked suspicious:
Security Guard,
"I watched because he had a on a lot of like disguised long sleeved clothes and thing."
The guard turned to the counter to tell the proprietor to be wary and that's when another man came up from behind, held him with what is believed to a be 9 mm pistol and took away the guard's 38.
Security Guard,
"Someone came from behind me and placed a big black gun in my ribcage area and ordered me to get down on the ground."
He resisted - and the assailant swung at him with the gun. Fearing for his life, he ran outside and that's when the security guard from the adjoining game room building came over to see what was the ruckus. He found a burglary in progress; the robbers were behind the counter helping themselves. He kneeled on the street, waited for them to come out, and then opened fire.
The robbers responded with fire of their own and two of their bullets are believed to have hit a bystander Kimberly Marin who was in front of her home at this fence. She was shot once to the chest and once to the right arm. She is in a stable condition.
After that the pair rode off on bicycles - in different directions - one of them may have been injured in the exchange of fire. It was a night of terror for these community storeowners and they are still shaken.
Security Guard,
"I was just worrying about my life, most of all. Thank God that nobody died."
Jules Vasquez,
This is hardly 18 hours later. Are you still scared?
Security Guard,
"More than scared..."
Jules Vasquez,
But you have to work.
Security Guard,
"I have to work, nervous nervous nervous."
Police say they have tracked down one of the robbers. They today charged 24-year-old Allen James, aka Ras, of Gibnut Street with two counts of attempted murder, two counts of robbery, use of deadly means of harm and dangerous harm. His accomplice is still at large. As we noted he may have been injured in the crossfire but he hasn't turned up at any medical treatment facility yet so police are beginning to doubt that theory. Kimberly Marin is in a stable condition at the KHMH and her family declined comment.
