By Shavonne Potts

Salisbury Post

A group of men were robbed and tied, and two of them beaten last Friday at a business authorities previously raided for gambling.

Witnesses said three men came into the store at 958 Webb Road demanding money. Two of the robbers rushed a ticket counter and the third stayed at the store’s entrance, said Rowan County Sheriff’s Lt. John Sifford.

One of the men fired a handgun into the ceiling and told the five men in the room to get on the floor.

The owners of the business, a father and son, were forced into chairs. Their hands were tied with their own belts.

The father and son, whose names aren’t being used because the suspects are still at large, were also secured with duct tape. A customer was restrained in a similar fashion.

Two patrons were not secured or beaten, but were told not to move.

All of the victims’ wallets were taken. Their cell phones were also taken and smashed. More than $1,000 was stolen.

Contact Shavonne Potts at 704-797-4253 or spotts@salisburypost.com.