Officers Coordinate Across City Lines To Catch KFC Robbers

Three robberies in three cities in less than three weeks have police concerned.

An armed robbery over the weekend at a KFC/Taco Bell on North Tryon Street grabbed the attention of police officers in two other cities.

There have been similar robberies at KFCs in Belmont and Gastonia within the last two weeks.

Last weekend’s robbery on North Tryon Street was almost identical to one that occurred at a Belmont KFC less than a week ago.

“[There are] a lot of similarities: [the] description of the suspects’ car, the victims were taken to the cooler and then locked in the cooler,” Belmont Police Chief David James said.

A KFC on West Franklin Boulevard in Gastonia was robbed at gunpoint two weeks ago. One of the suspects fired a shot inside the restaurant during that incident.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police confirmed they are reaching out to investigators in Belmont and Gastonia because of the possibility that the robberies are connected.

Officers are eager to find the suspects before another robbery occurs -- or worse.

“You never know, something may happen,” James said. “We may respond to a robbery and have a lot of people hurt or killed.”

Police have only a vague description of the robbers: two black men.

They do have pictures of what is believed to be the suspects’ getaway car. It’s a 1990s model silver or gray Buick that was driven by a black woman. The car was spotted after the robberies in Belmont and Charlotte.