Summertime, And Armed Robbers Made People Uneasy

Chinatown Targeted In a Rash of Holdups

In quiet parts of Chinatown, near the noodle shops and produce markets, armed robbers have found reserves of cash, police say.

A string of summer robberies didn't happen amid the flashing lights and flashy cars of the pulsing new Chinatown that draws thousands of urban hipsters with money to burn.

Instead, the robbers struck immigrants who are a little wary of banks, travel on budget charter buses and carry cash for shopping trips.

Almost a dozen people were robbed from June through August, most of them between 10 p.m. and 3 a.m., near H and Fifth streets NW, D.C. police 1st District Commander David Kamperin said.

The robbers focused on two areas: the drop-off spots for the charters often called the "dragon bus," which shuttles between the District's and New York Chinatowns, and the raucous Florida Avenue farmers market in Northeast.

The bus passengers were targeted because some were coming to the District with cash for shopping, and others were coming home on the bus after a trip to Atlantic City, some carrying gambling winnings, Kamperin said.

At the Florida Avenue market, where robbery upticks are a part of the rough-and-tumble atmosphere, vendors deal primarily in cash. Robbers can hide between the lined-up semis disgorging pallets of bok choy and goat meat after they hit their marks, police said.

At the market, robbers targeted primarily Asian business owners. At the bus stops, it was primarily women who were robbed of purses full of cash, Kamperin said.

In response, police flooded the area with fliers and handed them to bus passengers as they disembarked.

Soohyun Julie Koo, executive director of the Mayor's Office on Asian & Pacific Islander Affairs, said staff members visited many of the area's business owners and residents, encouraging them to carry less cash and be more aware of their surroundings.

At a community meeting, members of the police department's Asian Liaison Unit warned about 60 people about the robbers and their patterns. They also offered tips to avoid being a victim.

A similar pattern occurred last year, when one robber was so bold as to board the New York bus and rob eight people while standing in the doorway, Kamperin said.

On Aug. 11, police arrested a man attempting a carjacking in Chinatown who fit a description given in some of the summer robberies. Almost two weeks went by without another robbery, until the last week in August, when one followed another.

"We haven't actually put other robberies on him, but we're looking at it," Kamperin said.

One or two similar robberies have occurred this month, he said, but not the amount reported at the height of summer.

"Our crime is trending down now," Kamperin said. "The big problem we're having right now is theft from autos. They love those GPS units."