Tulsa robbery victim talks

Tulsa had 855 robberies last year, that's an average of 71 a month. The city certainly saw an increase in the number of small businesses robbed and the trend doesn't seem to be letting up in 2004.

Thursday, February 5th 2004, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

Tulsa had 855 robberies last year, that's an average of 71 a month. The city certainly saw an increase in the number of small businesses robbed and the trend doesn't seem to be letting up in 2004.

News on 6 crime reporter Lori Fullbright talks to a victim who says getting robbed is an experience she'll never forget. Kara was the only one working at a Tulsa SuperCuts early one morning when a man came inside wearing a hooded sweatshirt and locked the front door. "He turned around to me and said I'm robbing your store. I didn't know what to say because I didn't expect it. I was so scared; I didn't have time to think."

The man grabbed Kara by the shirt and told her to take him to the store's safe, which she did, in the store's back office. "I was fumbling with the keys because I was nervous and he said hurry up. He was never vulgar, then, he pushed me back over to the safe."

Kara never saw a gun but says the man kept one hand in the front pocket of his sweatshirt, so she didn't know for sure. "He pushed me into this door right here, which is our storage area.â€ He left her in the storage room, took money from the register, then left. Kara waited, came out, saw the coast was clear and called 911.

Tulsa Police say Kara did exactly the right thing because even if you can't see a weapon, you have to assume there is one and nothing you own or your company owns is worth dying for. "I honestly thought when he pushed me up against the wall, I was going to die. I didn't know what to do. It's a very scary situation."

Kara says it's a terrifying thing to go through that despite her best efforts to the contrary, continues to affect her every day.

The robber was white, in his 20's, around 5-feet-10 and 160 pounds. He wore a maroon hooded, pull-over sweatshirt with a pocket on the front and a maroon ski mask.

If you have information about this case, you can call Crimestoppers at 596-COPS.