ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — The St. Louis County Police Department is warning residents of a recent crime trend after reports of several burglaries targeting the Asian community.
Police said they believe the residents being targeted are also business owners.
"Criminals don't pick your race. They don't pick your age. They just think you're easy. You don't pay attention, I think that's how (it happens)," Ling Dai said.
Ling Dai and her husband have owned Wonton King Restaurant in China Town Square for the last two decades.
And she said she's seen her fair share of crime impacting her community.
"People need to pay a little attention. Don't think 'it's not my business. It's never happened. It's somewhere else.' You have to care about others, look out for your neighbors," Dai said.
That's what St. Louis County police urged people to do in recent posts on social media.
Police are warning people to be aware of their surroundings, place valuables in a safe, install surveillance cameras and communicate with neighbors to be on the lookout for suspicious vehicles among many other tips.
St. Louis County Police Sgt. Tracy Panus said so far seven burglaries involving the Asian community have happened in west St. Louis County between Jan. 13-30.
"It's primarily homes that are being burglarized at this point. But businesses have also been victimized in the past. Every couple of years, we'll see something like this where a theft ring will come into our area and specifically target these groups," Panus said. "And that's what we're seeing again right now. So while we've mostly had residences hit at this point, we also want people to be aware that there are businesses that could be hit as well."
"I believe the perception is out there that the Asian community doesn't trust banks, and therefore they keep large amounts of cash in their homes. So that is why they're being targeted," Panus said.
But Dai said that's not always true.
"That's a rumor. You know? Trust me," Dai said. "No. Everybody uses credit cards, are you kidding me?"
Dai also had her own thoughts about what will happen when the police catch the suspects.
"I believe in karma 100%," Dai said.
Police said detectives are continuing to investigate the crimes, but they don't have any suspects in custody at the moment.
St. Louis County police are urging anyone with information to call 636-529-8210.