Alleged armed robbers take refuge in Salisbury hotel

SALISBURY — Officers swarmed the Hampton Inn in Salisbury Monday after reports of a crime nearby.

Kevin Hayes was inside the T-Mobile store on East Innes Street when four men ran in and forced two customers and two employees to lie down on the floor in the back of the store.

"I just think those guys need to be put away somewhere,” Hayes said. “They don't need be in the street. They are dangerous."

The armed robbery happened in the morning and caught Hayes by surprise.

Hayes said the robbers were aggressive and wanted money immediately.
"When the woman say she only had $500, I thought, 'We're about to get shot,'" Hayes said.
 
The customers and employees stayed in the back of the store for about 10 minutes before they realized the robbers were gone.
 
An employee was able to give police the description of the suspects' car, and an officer followed it to the Hampton Inn on Jake Alexander Boulevard.
 
They surrounded the hotel, called in the SWAT team and evacuated the other customers.
"We saw a bunch of the cops and the lights everywhere," witness Tonya Eagle said.
 
Police and the SWAT team began a room-by-room search.
 
They found two of the suspects in a hallway and the other two in a room. All four men gave up without a struggle.

"I guess it's a life lesson for me,” Hayes said. “I might have to carry a gun everywhere I go."

Police said two of the suspects had rented a room at the hotel.

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