Three neighboring businesses were broken into on Tuesday morning in a quiet, leafy Silver Spring, Maryland, neighborhood where residents said crime is an infrequent visitor.
The businesses hit in the Rock Creek Shopping Center on Grubb Road included Parkway Deli, Red Maple Asian Bistro and Fiona Nail Lounge.
“Our door was busted and so were a couple of more doors in the shopping center,” said Rigoberto Cruz, manager at Parkway Deli, which has been serving up corned beef sandwiches and other deli fare since 1963.
The suspects smashed the glass front doors on all three shops to gain entry into to the businesses in the shopping center located on the edge of Rock Creek Park.
While Cruz said the suspects left the deli empty-handed, more than $2,200 in cash was taken from next door at Red Maple Asian Bistro, according to manager David Gao.
“This is terrifying. I spoke to another mom, who just walked by with two kids, and she said this terrified her, as well,” said Thu Nguyen, owner of Fiona Nail Lounge, where the suspects made off with $200 in cash.
“This area is very safe, a lot of people here are, like, very calm … and have a healthy lifestyle,” Nguyen said.
By late Tuesday afternoon, glass technicians were finishing repairs on the front doors of all three shops, all of which were able to conduct business following the break-ins.
The deli is equipped with surveillance video cameras whose recordings could aid Montgomery County police in their investigation.
