Police seek links between Wake Forest, Cary hotel robberies

Ed Crump Image
Friday, January 13, 2017
Teenaged hotel clerk shot in robbery
The gunmen are still on the loose, but the worker is expected to recover.

WAKE FOREST, North Carolina (WTVD) -- Authorities are searching for the suspect involved in the shooting of a hotel employee early Thursday morning in Wake Forest and now are investigating a possible connection with a hotel robbery in Cary.

The incident happened around 1:45 a.m. during a robbery at the Sleep Inn on Wake Union Church Road.

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"It was the clerk. He was saying, 'I'm shot! I'm shot!' And he was bamming on the door and nobody didn't hear him, and I opened the door and he ran in and closed the door. And he said I need you to call the ambulance and I seen he had a gunshot wound in his arm and he pulled the bullet out," said witness Rashadd Hill.

When officers arrived at the scene, they found 19-year-old Samuel Tilley inside the hotel with a gunshot wound. He was taken to WakeMed with non-life-threatening injuries.

"He was lucky because you could have died in a situation like that. When somebody's coming in they could have killed you right on the scene trying to get money," said Hill.

There were three robbers wearing dark clothing and their faces were covered.

"He said they were dressed in all black. That's what I remember the police saying when they went and looked through the cameras and stuff," said Hill.

Later Thursday, ABC11 learned from Cary Police that a similar robbery occurred at 3:45 AM at the Best Western on Walnut Street behind Waffle House.

There were three armed suspects wearing dark clothing in that incident, and the clerk was hit a couple of times but not seriously injured.

The suspects left with an undisclosed amount of cash.

Cary Police are looking at possible connections with the Wake Forest Counterparts.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Wake Forest Police Department Tip Line at (919) 435-9610.

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