HARRISBURG, Pa. -- Delivery drivers, beware.
After a string in food delivery driver robberies in Harrisburg, police are sending out a warning.
“It’s different parts of the city so it’s a little difficult to pinpoint, so we’re trying to figure out what the commonalities are," said Captain Gabriel Olivera, Harrisburg Bureau Police.
In the last three weeks, 2nd Wok, Pizza Boli's and China Express in Harrisburg, all had delivery drivers who were robbed and then beaten.
Here’s what’s been happening: Using a fake number, a restaurant will get a call for a delivery between 10:00 p.m. and midnight.
Once the driver gets to the address and steps outside the car, they are ambushed.
“One of the homes was in a vacant structure, the other two actually people lived there they had no clue what was going on, said Olivera.
For Zahid Muhamad, who is a manager at Pizza Boli’s in Harrisburg, he and his employees are still shaken up following last weeks attack on one of their delivery drivers.
“They took their card, food and money and they beat him," said Muhamad.
They also got away with more than $300.
“He was in a very panicked condition when he called us and so then we called 911," added Muhamad.
All he wants is for the people responsible to be held accountable, so that his staff can feel safe once again.
“I do worry about my drivers because the drivers, we cannot arm them ,and they can’t go with any weapons with them to deliver," added Muhamad.
Until the robbers are caught, Captain Olivera says there are some things businesses can do, to make sure delivery drivers aren’t targeted.
"When you receive a call, call those numbers back, when the driver is actually out at the address, have the driver call swell," said Captain Olivera. “There’s fifty thousand people in this city that have a pair of eyes, there’s a lot more civilians out there to see what’s going on more than the officers would so if you see something, say something to us, give us a call, we’d be more than happy to check it out," he added.
Anyone with information regarding the robberies are asked to contact Harrisburg Bureau Police at: (717) 255-3131.