For 2nd time in a month, residents at apartment near Duke robbed at gunpoint

DURHAM, N.C. (WNCN) – For the second time in less than a month, armed suspects forced their way into an apartment near the Duke campus and robbed residents, according to a community alert multiple resident shared with CBS 17.

According to the alert sent to residents by officials at the Belmont apartments on McQueen Drive in Durham, the incident happened around 10 p.m. Wednesday night. The alert said as two residents were returning home, they were “approached by two armed men” outside, who then “forced their way into the residents’ home and stole electronics and attempted to steal bank funds.”

Apartment complex officials described this robbery as “similar to the incident that occurred last month.”

That’s when several residents reported multiple suspects held them at gunpoint over the course of around 90 minutes as they ransacked an apartment unit and stole electronics, banking information and a car from the students. Durham police have not announced any arrests in the Feb. 5 case.

After another reported robbery at the same complex, apartment officials called the incident “extremely frustrating” because staff “had hoped our efforts would prevent further criminal activity,” referring to increased security measures in the wake of the February robbery. The alert said the crimes “will not be tolerated.”

This latest crime has residents CBS 17 spoke with nervous.

“I was OK until it happened in my building,” said one student who asked not to be identified for safety reasons. “Now that it’s happened right to my neighbor, it’s a little scary to be honest.”

Ethan Bott, who also lives at the complex, said he and his neighbors have changed their behavior since the first incident.