TACOMA, Wash. — A Tacoma convenience store owner is still in shock after her business was robbed at gunpoint on Tuesday night.
Her husband and co-owner of the business, Cheang Yann, spoke with KING 5 and said they have been running their store for over 30 years in the same neighborhood, and they can't believe something like this would happen to them.
The couple first opened the doors of their business in 1991, 10 years after arriving in the United States from Cambodia. They chose the corner of North 26th Street and North Stevens Street.
It's a moment Yann is proud of, but he says he's seen the neighborhood change over the last few years.
"I never thought I'd have to put the bars on my window or the door, never ever," Yann said.
Surveillance video from Tuesday night shows a man walking up to the front counter of the business, where Yann's wife, Lakhena Pon, was working.
Soon after, he pulled out a gun, demanding Pon empty the register. Pon gave the cash drawer to the robber, who took out all of the bills, then left.
"She was scared, she was really scared and now still in shock," Yann said. "This had never happened to her before. It was the first time. We never thought it would happen here."
Tacoma police say there has been a 45% increase in robberies between 2021 and 2022, although not specifically targeted at convenience stores.
Investigators haven't identified a suspect yet, but Yann hopes that changes soon.
"I hope they catch this guy to stop him from doing this to another place and have to put them away somehow so he doesn't come back to do this over and over again. They need to change the system somehow to make sure this doesn't happen again," he said.
Yann went on to say that despite what happened, he still loves this neighborhood and is proud of the business he and his wife have built together, and they don't plan on going anywhere.