It's been one robbery right after another, some happening just minutes apart. Local casinos like Molly's and Jackpot Joanie's are getting held up while most people are sleeping.
"Graveyard is rough. You have two pretty ladies come knocking on the door you usually let them in. That's great coming in on graveyard... and then they come in and case the joint... Then they leave and the next thing you know a couple guys come in with guns," said Sean Allen, a bartender at Mad Matty's Bar and Grill.
A lot of the cases sound alike: Several people come in wearing masks with guns demanding cash and then split. Not even halfway through March and at least five local casinos and bars have been robbed.
Bartenders like Sean are doing something about all these robberies. They're taking pictures from surveillance videos and posting them on Facebook to warn other bartenders. They even have their own Facebook group just for people in the industry.
To get into a place like Mad Matty's at night, you have to ring the bell. It's up to the bartender whether you'll be allowed access.
"There's really no security. Nobody has any idea when somebody feels the desire to go rob somebody," said Allen.
Police haven't connected any of the robberies, but they can for sure say violent crime is worse this year than last.
Working on a story about a series of violent crimes. Bartenders are banding together to protect themselves.
Posted by Parker Collins on Wednesday, March 16, 2016
