PORTLAND, Oregon — A North Portland bar was robbed recently, after a thief threatened workers with a machete.
Security footage shows a man enter Perch Bar & Grill as a bartender was opening up the restaurant. As the employee came back inside after opening the front door, the man grabbed her and held a machete to her neck.
Then he forced her to clear out money in the cash register and a secret safe.
“I am very scared,” said Kim, the owner of Perch Bar & Grill.
For years the bar has been a place where neighbors along Lombard Street have gathered. But now, employees are nervous.
The owner, Kim, did not give her last name for safety reasons. She said robberies have become more common in the St. Johns neighborhood.
“I heard there are so many businesses that are getting…broken in(to),” Kim said.
Somehow, Kim said, the thief knew about a secret safe, and got away with tens of thousands of dollars.
Now, other North Portland businesses are also growing increasingly worried about robberies. Employees at Kung Food, which is just a couple blocks away, said the restaurant has been broken into three times this year. On the last break-in, thieves stole the restaurants ATM machine.
Owners of Leisure Public House said they have had six break-ins this year.
“It’s so exhausting mentally, emotionally,” said Nicole Blanchette, the owner of Leisure Public House.
Blanchette is worried there will be more break-ins in the future. She agreed with Kim, that the neighborhood needs a larger police presence.
“Hopefully at some point we can start working together to clean up the city of Portland,” Kim said.
While business owners said robberies are becoming more common, they are not a new occurrence. Employees at Perch Bar & Grill said they were robbed at gunpoint in 2017 as well. The restaurant has also set up a GoFundMe page to help recoup some of its losses.
Police are investigating and there is no suspect identified yet, Kim told KGW.