NEW ORLEANS -- Armed men robbed a popular Mid-City restaurant late Sunday while an employee cleaned the business before closing for the night.
According to an overnight police log, the employee was cleaning the back Neyow's Creole Café, 3332 Bienville St., with the back door open when the robbers, who wore masks, marched inside about 11:35 p.m. The business' Web site said it was open until 9 p.m. Sunday.
One of the robbers held the employee on the ground at gunpoint while the other took $400 from the register.
The robbers then ran away.
Police did not provide any description of the robbers.
"It was just an opportunity that they took and a waste of their time and unnecessary," Allison Brooks, a Chef for Neyow's, said.
While the cafe is bouncing back, with a line out the door today, residents who live in the neighborhood are more uneasy.
"It's terrifying," resident Meredith Acocella said.
"It's at a crisis point, I don't feel safe outside," another resident, who asked to remain anonymous said.
To them, an armed robbery doesn't seem out of the ordinary for the area
"I'm shocked, but not surprised," resident Sandra Gerhold said.
They add this incident to a growing list of crimes near their homes.
"Our daughter (was) held up at gunpoint in broad daylight in front of our house," the anonymous resident said.
"We've had two shootouts in front of my house in the last year, one in broad daylight," Gerhold said.
"A shooting about a month ago, right around the corner and someone died as a result so there's definitely been a lot in the last few months," Acocella said.
Residents say they feel like they're on their own.
"I haven't really seen a patrol car around, at night especially," Acocella said.
As the crime continues, they're left wondering how much more they can take.
"The crime is going to be the undoing of this city," another resident who wanted to remain anonymous said.