A robbery at a Virginia Harris Teeter reminded authorities of a string of similar crimes in North Carolina, and whether or not it was perpetrated by the same robbers or copycats, the grocery chain is offering tens of thousands of dollars for help solving the case.
Two men with their faces covered -- one displaying a firearm -- entered the Stone Ridge store in Aldie about 2:20 a.m. Tuesday and took cash from two cash registers, according to the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office. One employee was pushed to the ground during the crime but did not suffer any injuries.
In North Carolina since Christmas, 10 Harris Teeter stores have been robbed by masked gunmen who take money from customers and cash boxes from self-checkout registers in the early morning hours. Harris Teeter added security patrols and posted a $75,000 reward, and those armed robberies stopped.
”We will not speculate about any connections between that which happened at our Stone Ridge store and the criminals who targeted Harris Teeter stores in North Carolina,” read a statement from Harris Teeter.
The company announced Tuesday it is offering up to a $50,000 reward for information leading to arrests in the Stone Ridge case. Anyone with information about the robbery should call Crime Stoppers at 703-777-1919.
