Surveillance video shows suspect burglarizing two Montgomery County businesses

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. ( DC News Now ) – On Wednesday, the Montgomery County Department of Police (MCPD) released surveillance video showing a man robbing two businesses in Silver Spring just moments apart last month.

MCPD said a man armed with a gun went into Genet Ethiopian Market and Rhuth’s African Kitchen and demanded money from both establishments. The experience left the owner of each business traumatized.

“It was scary,” Ruth Jalloh said. “It was scary.”

Jalloh is the owner of Rhuth’s African Kitchen. She said she was opening her restaurant for the day on Sept. 26 when a stranger burst through the door.

“From the video, you see that. ‘Give me the register, give me the register.’ Then, nobody answered him. We moved to the back and then he went over the counter and grabbed the register,” Jalloh said.

As he grabbed the register, Jalloh attempted to see who the man was.

“He had his face covered,” she said. “His nose covered, he had his hand gloves and everything. It was traumatizing.”

Once he left, Jalloh’s daughter, who was hiding in the bathroom, called 911.

Seconds before coming into Rhuth’s African Kitchen, the same person was in Genet Ethiopian Market, which is next door. He demanded money there, too. The owner of the market was very shaken.

Because of what happened, Jalloh made the decision to change the way she does business.

“You can Zelle,” she said, “You can Cash App, but I’m not doing cash anymore. That’s what I told my workers. As much as we can, let’s go cashless because if you don’t have cash, they won’t rob you.”

As of Thursday, police still were looking for the man seen in the footage. MCPD is asking anyone with information to contact them.

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