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8.19.2010

asian business owners targeted in delaware county, pennsylvania

Some news out of Delaware County, Pennsylvania... Asian American business owners in Upper Darby's 69th Street area are being targeted by robbers. According to police, there have been three home invasion robbers involving owners -- all Asian American -- of shops in the same general area: Asian business owners worried about robberies.

The most recent home invasion happened earlier this month, on August 8 in Haverford. Two others were reported last month in Upper Darby and Ridley Township. All three victims are Asian business owners in the 69th Street area -- a nail salon, restaurant and beer distributor.
A police alert was issued regarding the attacks against Asian business owners.

According to Chitwood, the Haverford incident involved owners of a beer distributor targeted in the middle of the night by three to five black male intruders, with no further description.

"The victims are not sure if they were followed home," Chitwood said. "It looks like the individuals were targeted and more than likely followed home. Why else would that house be hit? The common thread is they are all Asians and have businesses in the area of 69th Street.

"We put an alert out to the patrol guys. The robbers really are animals. These critters are either from Upper Darby or Philadelphia. They get in and out with guns. Our fear is they are definitely going to kill somebody charging into these houses for money."
The article seems to indicate that Asian business owners are being targeted because the robbers are under the assumption that they don't use banks, and thus must keep large sums of money in their homes. I don't know if that's actually true, but that is the belief.

More here: Police: Pa. Asians Targeted Again By Criminals. Why does this keep happening?. My fellow Asians, please be careful out there! Anyone with information about these recent robberies can contact police at 610-734-7677.