04:41 PM EDT on Tuesday, July 18, 2006

By JOHN ROMERO / 6NEWS
E-mail John: JRomero@WCNC.com

6NEWS

Three Hispanic men were drinking beer in the parking lot of the Vista Villa Apartments when they were approached by three men, one armed with a gun. 

There is a crime spike across Charlotte with Latino victims mounting in a string of armed robberies.

The latest incident happened Monday night when a man was pistol whipped and robbed shortly after midnight at the Vista View Apartments in east Charlotte.  Three Hispanic men were drinking beer in the parking lot when they were approached by three men, one armed with a gun. 

It’s a story police say they are hearing again and again.  The patrol officers investigating Monday night’s incident say more than 75 percent of the robberies from persons involve Hispanic victims.  They say robberies in the Latin American community jumped up when the weather got warm this summer and spiked just in the last few weeks.

Three Hispanic men were robbed and one was fatally shot at the Cedars East Apartments a week ago. A Hispanic man was robbed and shot when he chased his alleged attackers earlier this week at the Paces Glen Apartments.

Captain Glenn Neimeyer of the Hickory Grove division of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department says the problem is worst at apartment complexes.  “Officers who are driving around say they’re counting 30-50 people out in the parking lot, that’s target rich.  That’s a lot of customers for these folks.”

Police are working with the Hispanic media to get the word out.