Chinatown's Ken Kee restaurant robbed at gunpoint, Chicago police say

CHICAGO (WLS) -- A Chinatown restaurant was robbed at gunpoint Tuesday night, Chicago police said.

The robbery took place at the Ken Kee restaurant in the 2100-block of South China Place at about 11:49 p.m.

Police said two male suspects entered the business with handguns and demanded money from the cashier.

The robbers also stole personal belongings from two employees, a 34-year-old man and a 23-year-old woman inside, police said.

"Ken Kee is a really well-known establishment in Chinatown," Alderwoman Nicole Lee said. "I was really shocked by it. It was a pretty brazen attack at the end of the day. It's very uncommon for people to go inside a restaurant and hold somebody up."

Alderwoman Lee said she's been in touch with police and the Chinatown neighborhood watch group Wednesday morning.

"We are already making plans for additional patrols," Alderwoman Lee said. "Obviously, we want people to feel safe. There will be an increased presence of police in and around the neighborhood, especially as we are leading up to our lunar new year parade on Sunday."

The Alderwoman said there is surveillance video of the robbery that will hopefully help investigators catch the suspects.

No one was injured. The two suspects then left the restaurant on foot and are not in custody, police said. Area One detectives are investigating.

According to Chicago police data investigated by the ABC7 data team, as of February 5 there have been 45 armed robberies in Chinatown over the past 12 months, down almost 18 percent compared to the average of the prior three years.

Even with that progress, people want to see more from city leaders.

"I want my government thinking about us, thinking about my home. I want the government to give police back power and take care of my community," said Julie Mai, resident.

"This particular community is vulnerable because there doesn't seem to be a plan of action to deter criminals from coming in," said Cook County Commissioner George Cardenas. "There's surveillance but not enough."

Community activists are offering a $2,000 reward for any information leading to an arrest in the Ken Kee robbery.

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