MACON, Ga. — Inside The Gentry, men get their hair cut while sipping on high-end whiskey. The Cotton Avenue shop is tucked away on a corner of downtown Macon.
Gentry owner Brian Ochoa says he's never been robbed, but Sunday morning, from inside his nearby loft, he heard a man screaming for help.
"I heard somebody screaming, 'Help me! Help me!' It was plain as day outside my window," says Ochoa.
What Ochoa heard was the 8th armed robbery in downtown Macon since January 1, 2019. According to a news release from the Bibb County Sheriff's Office, it happened outside The Rookery on Cherry Street.
"It's usually after hours, late at night when things happen," says Ochoa.
According to an open records report from BSO, 7 of the 8 robberies happened between midnight and 6 a.m. 7 of them also involved a weapon.
Across the street from The Rookery, you'll find Parish on Cherry, a Cajun-inspired restaurant, with a manager now inspired to step up safety for his employees.
Brandon Flagg says when he locks up, he tells staff to use the buddy system when walking to their cars.
"We make sure it's two or more people that leave together, or if it's just someone that's leaving by themselves, we have a golf cart where we can transport them to their vehicle," says Flagg.
Back on the other side of downtown, Ochoa says his business locks up earlier than bars and restaurants, but he still carries a gun.
"I do notice that I'm walking on lighted streets a little bit more than the alleys," says Ochoa. "But I always carry. I'm willing to defend what I care for, which is myself, my dog, and whoever else that I'm with."
The Bibb County Sheriff's Office says from March 2016 to now, there's been 43 robberies across downtown Macon.
In 2018, there were 9 armed robberies. We are 6 months into 2019, and have already seen 8.