Carryout Customer Sees Robbery, But Is More Interested In His Food

WASHINGTON, DC (WUSA) -- Paul Chen says the actions of a customer added insult to injury when his family's carryout was robbed Saturday night. The robbery occurred just before midnight at the Eastern Carryout on Florida Avenue near 18th Street, Northwest.

Chen was waiting on the customer in the front when three men came in the open rear door of the business. They forced Chen and his parents into the back and robbed them. Chen's mother was pistol whipped when she refused to give up her money.

According to Chen, the customer saw all of this and walked out the front door, but didn't call police. Instead, after the robbers were gone the customer returned and wanted to know where his food was. Chen says he gave the man back his money and told him to leave.

DC Police report this was the sixth robbery of an Asian restaurant in the area over the last ten days.

Police believe the same men who robbed Eastern Carryout likely held up The Peking Express four-blocks-away about a half-hour earlier. In that incident the men also came through an open back door of the business in the 1300 block of U Street, NW. Employees tell 9NEWS NOW the robbers fired a shot into the floor after one of the employees resisted turning over his money.