Robbery Is Latest of Attacks That Appear to Target Asians

Two women were robbed outside a home in Silver Spring this week, the latest in a series of attacks that has led police to think assailants might be targeting Asian residents, following them to their homes and confronting them outside.

Wednesday's attack came after three Asian couples were robbed in the past six weeks. Those incidents occurred in Bethesda, Wheaton and the Kensington area.

"They do it very quick, and they run away," Lt. Paul Starks, a Montgomery County police spokesman said of the robbers. "They're not afraid of the daylight."

Word of the robberies has spread among Montgomery's Asian residents. The attacks are considered particularly galling because of the age of the victims, half of whom are at least 70 years old.

"Those people can't fight back," said Stan Tsai, who has been a leader of the Chinese Culture and Community Service Center in Gaithersburg.

"Certainly," he said, "the community is scared."

In Wednesday's attack, a 48-year-old woman was hit in the face and pushed to the ground. The other woman was 52. The ages of victims in the previous attacks ranged from 61 to 75.

The two assailants in the latest attack, in the 800 block of Stratford Manor Terrace, were described as black, 16 to 17 years old, 5-foot-6 to 5-foot-9, with dark hooded sweat shirts pulled down to partially cover their faces. Victims in the previous attacks gave similar descriptions.

Montgomery detectives said someone could be badly injured if the attacks escalate, particularly given the ages of the targets. "It may not take much to significantly injure the victims," Starks said.

In each case, officials said, the assailants followed their targets home and struck when they got out of their cars, either just outside the home or in a garage. They have not used a gun but have been aggressive.

Montgomery police said this week that the attacks might be linked to as many as 10 similar robberies in the District. In a news release Monday, they said that detectives from the two jurisdictions were "working closely together" and that officers think the same people might be responsible for all the attacks.

Yesterday, however, a D.C. police spokesman said the Montgomery cases were not linked to any in the city. Starks declined to address the conflicting remarks.