RICHMOND, Va. (WTVR)--A South Richmond couple said they’re grateful everyone is safe after an armed robbery at their longtime business on Broad Rock Boulevard.
Married for 50 years next month and business partners for nearly as long, Jean and Raleigh Carr say they’ve never been robbed inside their service station.
“It’s the first time I’ve been robbed in 42 years,” saidRaleigh Carr.
Around 11 o’clock Monday morning, two armed men walked into the shop where Jean Carr was working and placed a gun to her head.
“He hollered real loud and said ‘open it, you open the cash register!’”
She said it’s wasn’t the gun to her head that scared her, but the thought that her husband was watching the robbery on his security monitor in the next room.
“It scared me because he was in a different room and I was just so afraid that he would walk out and something might happen,” said Carr.
While on the phone with police, Raleigh Carr said it was difficult not to come to his wife’s aid, especially after one of the suspects grabbed her by the arm and shoved her into a chair.
“I do carry a gun but I didn’t have it on me at the time.” Carr said. “It’s a good thing because we’re trained to give them what they want and that’s what we did.”
On Monday, several friends and customers stopped by to check on the couple, including an emotional city councilwoman.
Reva Trammell said she’s worked closely with the Carr family for years. Raleigh Carr is the longtime chairman of the Broad Rock Retail Merchants Association.
“They could have been shot and killed,” sobbed Trammell. “It is wrong to do this.”
A security camera was able to capture images of both suspects.
Richmond police are investigating to see if there’s a connection to other recent robberies, including a robbery Sunday on Forest Hill Avenue.
