Abington Township police say in the last week criminals have targeted a very specific group.
"Criminals are targeting Asian American business owners. They're going off the premise of this stereotype that they keep large amounts of cash in their homes," said Det. Lt. Steven Fink.
Fink says the businesses are in Philadelphia, but the suspects have been surveilled over time and followed home.
On Tuesday, police say a group forced their way into a family's home in Huntingdon Valley in the middle of the night, leading to the homeowner being violently assaulted.
"I can't comment on the extent of their injuries but I can tell it was a rather serious assault," Fink said. "A group of criminals forced their way into this home, they hit them with a lead pipe. One of the residents was assaulted with a pipe."
In another case the week before, a family in Meadowbrook was burglarized but they weren't home. The incidents happened just two or three miles apart. Officials call it a disturbing trend nationwide and locally.
"Our detectives are looking at some similarities between our crimes and other crimes that have happened throughout Montgomery County and the region to see if these are the same criminals committing all these crimes or if you're looking at more than one group. We're still trying to figure out exactly which cases are linked and how far-reaching this organization goes," Fink said.
In the meantime, police are asking neighbors to be aware and report suspicious activity.
"In one of the crimes, the lookout was actually posing as a jogger on the street where the burglary occurred. The suspicious thing was the jogger was wearing a surgical mask while he was jogging," Fink said.
Neighbors in the Meadowbrook community were disturbed a member of their community had been targeted this way. They spoke highly of their neighbor and said they'd lived in the neighborhood for around 30 years.
Abington police call these recent cases a priority and say they're aggressively following up on leads.
"We don't want anyone else to get hurt. We want all our residents to feel safe and secure. We will capture the suspects and bring them to justice," Fink said.
Susan Noh, president of the Korean American Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia, sent Action News a statement reading:
"The recent robberies of Asian American business owners, where criminals have followed them to their homes across different townships and counties, are both alarming and painfully familiar. This pattern of crime has unfortunately surfaced before.
"During the looting and unrest of the COVID-19 pandemic, similar tactics were used to target our community, resulting in many Asian American-owned businesses being destroyed.
"It's critical that law enforcement across all jurisdictions collaborate closely to address this issue. Business owners must be alerted to these dangers and educated on safety procedures to avoid being targeted. We also ask for answers and immediate action to prevent these crimes from continuing. The safety of our community cannot be compromised.
"To ensure this issue receives the attention it demands, all humanitarian and related organizations must come together to raise awareness and amplify our voices. This collective effort is essential to properly address these crimes and bring those responsible to justice."
Abington Township encourages residents to consider the following steps to help ensure their safety:
- Be aware of cars in the neighborhood that aren't normally there
- Be aware of anyone who might be following you home
- Give thought to how you secure valuables in your house
- Motion sensor lighting on the front and back of a home will help deter break-ins
- Install surveillance cameras on or around the home and business
- Consider having a home or business alarm system installed